


The Tomboyish Mermaid

by ThrashMetallix



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Drowning, F/M, Feelings Realization, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Girl Saves Boy, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, Love, Love Confessions, Lovers, Mermaid Romance, Mermaid Sex, Mermaid x human, Mermaid!Misty, Mermaids, Merpeople, Near Death, Rescue, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Shipwreck, Smut, Underwater, Underwater Blow Jobs, Underwater Love, Underwater Sex, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, mermaid, mermaid au, mermaid love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:51:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19877389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThrashMetallix/pseuds/ThrashMetallix
Summary: It’s been ten years since Ash Ketchum set out from Pallet Town to become a Pokémon Master. His journey has been long, but it’s brought him to an unfortunate predicament. On a ship bound for Cinnabar Island, a sudden storm sinks the ship with him trapped on board! With time and air running out, Ash doesn’t realize that he’ll find rescue in the form of an old friend, who for the longest time, held a big secret...





	1. That Sinking Feeling

Ash was sore, battered, and bruised in multiple places of his body. His mind was in darkness, and he couldn’t piece together anything as to why he would be feeling as he was. Before he could think another thought, he heard a worried “Pika pi!” Which caused him to stir, but almost immediately afterward, his body was hit with a small jolt of electricity, which made him yelp, and sit up in a quick manner. Opening his eyes, he realized he was sitting in total darkness, in an unrecognizable room. As he recovered from the jolt of electricity he just felt, he suddenly felt a small hug at his waist, as well as a relieved ray from his Pikachu. Ash gave a small smile, and gently patted the Pikachu’s head. “I’m okay, buddy. Thanks...”

It wasn’t uncommon for his Pikachu to worry himself like that. As uncomfortable as it was, Ash had grown accustomed to the Pokémon’s methods of making sure he was okay, which was usually a quick charge of it’s electric power. Most of the time, it was enough to wake Ash up with ease, but in the many years since he’d began his journey to Pokémon trainer, Ash had learned to put up with his partner’s shocks.

Ash finally looked around the room. Unable to see clearly, he took off his backpack, and took out a small flashlight, and shined it around the room. The room was a complete disaster, with furniture tossed about on the floor, glass and wood splinters covering the floor, and visible cracks along the walls. Ash frowned. This didn’t seem right. Not only was the room a complete disaster, but something felt off. The door was open, but the handle was higher than it should have been, and there was a small wall at the foot of the door. The floor that Ash remembered being soft under his feet was now cold and rock hard. That was when Ash shined the flashlight up, and was shocked to see that some of the furniture of the room was on the ceiling! This didn’t make any sense!

“Pikachu... what happened?” Ash heard himself ask aloud.

Ash stood up, glass crackling under his shoes as he rubbed his sore head, and tried to piece together everything that had happened up to this point. He’d been on a ship bound for Cinnabar Island, and he remembered having a wonderful trip. He’d engaged in a few friendly battles, had some good food, but suddenly, he remembered a storm seemingly coming out of nowhere, and jeopardizing the ship. He rubbed his chin and looked at the electric mouse by his feet. “The storm struck the ship, I know we ran here to grab our things, and...” He trailed off, and rubbed his head. He couldn’t remember anything else... His head felt like someone had driven a spike through it. “I guess I hit my head pretty hard.”

Pikachu looked at him in worry with a “Chuuu...”

Ash smiled at Pikachu, and said, “Don’t worry about me, Pikachu. I’m alright.” His focus then went back to trying to figure out what had taken place. Then it dawned on him. The ship had been put in jeopardy, and he had no memory of leaving the ship. Which could only mean one thing...

His eyes widened, and he said out loud, “Pikachu, we’re still onboard the ferry! We could be sinking! We gotta get out of here!”

But before he left the room, his attention once more returned to the furniture on the ceiling. How did it get up there? And why was the floor of the cabin a complete disaster? A sudden dreadful feeling of déjà vu crept into Ash when he realized he’d been in a similar situation before, approximately ten years ago aboard the St. Anne, after that ship capsized in a storm. He, Misty, and Brock had to navigate that ship, as it lay upside down on the sea floor. It all came back to him, and he immediately dashed to the open door, careful not to trip on the lip that was now on the floor, rather than above his head, and shined his flashlight down the hall.

It was completely dark, and there was no one in sight.

“Hello!” Ash called out as loud as he could. “Is anyone here?!”

Ash waited a moment, hoping he would hear any sort of response. But there was nothing. In fact, it was quiet enough to give him an uncomfortable sense of dread. If no one heard him, there was a very real chance that he was alone on this ship. And that the ship had sunk. Of all the past life events one could relive, this was one he hadn’t fancied ever reliving. Truth be told, he was lucky to have survived that ordeal with Misty and Brock. They had worked together to escape the sunken cruise ship. Now Ash was alone. And what’s more he didn’t have any of his water Pokémon currently with him. He cursed himself mentally in his head, and tried to think of any possible way he might get out of this.

An idea flew into his head as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his Pokégear. If he could get a message out, perhaps others would come and find him! He attempted a call to his mother... only to be met with disappointment as the tone he heard notified him that he had no service. He couldn’t even send a text message. He growled in frustration, and as he did that, Pikachu approached him and gave him a worried “Pikachu?”

Ash looked down, and tried to keep his resolve. “Don’t worry, Pikachu. Things may not look the best right now, but we’ve pulled through worse before. We’ll get through this as we always do. Don’t you worry.”

Ash couldn’t help but wonder if he was telling Pikachu that, or telling himself that. He was in a dark upside down ship, a ship that may have sank, he had no way of sending a message out, had no clue how to navigate this ship upside down, and even if he found a way out, he had no water Pokémon, or any way of breathing on a swim to the surface.”

Ash leaned against the wall, and sank to the floor, gently petting his Pikachu’s head. “Pikachu, when we get out of this, you’re gonna have to help me remember to get Buizel or someone from Professor Oak.” Ash said with a small chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood a bit, but Pikachu didn’t seem very amused with the joke.

“Okay, let’s think.” Ash said. “We can only speculate right now that the ship has sunk. If it has, the easiest way to get out would likely be through the deck, which is below us, but likely more flooded. If we venture up to the engine rooms which are now above us, we may not find many flooded compartments, but chances of escape will be relatively slim, and... and...” Ash buried his face in his arms in frustration.

“Pika?” Pikachu asked in worry.

“No, we can’t give up. There’s gotta be some way we can get out of this.” Ash said, trying to keep his head up. He had to think of any way out of this situation. He didn’t have a Water Pokémon that would help him get out of this situation, he didn’t have any way of contacting anyone up above, and any ship radios that might have been able to help were likely completely underwater. Would the ship have anything on board that would be helpful?

Then Ash got an idea. He stood up and smiled. “Pikachu, I have an idea! It may be a long shot, but I’ll take it. Maybe this ship has some dive equipment stored somewhere! If I can find any, getting out of here should hopefully be easy!” Ash looked around the dark hallway. “The only challenge will be finding out where they would keep something like that.”

It wasn’t going to be easy, and time was likely going against him. If the ship had sunk, chances are that water was rushing in from multiple places. As watertight as these ships could be, at the bottom of the ocean, it was only a matter of time before most pockets of air were flooded, including the one that Ash was standing in. Ash reached into his backpack and took out a folded map of the ship he’d been given upon boarding. The map was pretty crude for what Ash was trying to find. He guessed being a passenger on the ship, it wasn’t really his business to know where storage areas might be, and most of the areas on the map were labeled for the convenience of the passengers, not so much for a worker on the ship who got lost easily.

A little more studying of the map, and he put it in his pocket. “Pikachu, let’s go.” And Ash began walking down the dark hall, his small flashlight illuminating a small path for him. Ash had to be careful not to step on various light fixtures that were now below his feet rather than above his head, and let Pikachu climb onto his back, so that the Pokémon would not have to worry about walking on any glass shards or debris that might have hurt him, but aside from a small feeling of vertigo, Ash was able to walk through the dark halls without any problem.

His target destination was a couple decks below where he was. While he knew that going below, meant going towards the deck, and ultimately the more flooded sections of the ship, from what little he gathered from his map, it looked like there was a small storage area not too far from his location. It didn’t look like any standard broom closet type of storage area, and if he was to find any diving equipment, perhaps this would be a good place to start looking.

Upon reaching the end of the hall, he came upon what would normally be the staircase. Upside down however, the stairs were above his head, and at his feet was a ramp comprised of the base that housed the stairs that would normally be going to the level above him. Ash was thankful that the ramp was easy to access, but without a railing, he’d have to be sure to watch his footing, and try not to slip. Ash looked to Pikachu on his shoulder, and said, “Hang on tight buddy, this might get tricky.”

Ash then sank to the floor and began to gently slide down the ramp. Holding the flashlight in his hand, he was able to easily discern the size of the area, and was careful to stay away from the edge of the ramp, where he could easily fall from. It was far from a graceful side down the ramp, but a few feet slides later, he was at a level base and another ramp lay before him, which he began to slide down again. This journey was longer than he would have liked, but as he was going off a crude map, and gut feelings, he knew he couldn’t rush this.

He cleared one of the levels, and continued his descent. However, it wasn’t long into his journey that he began to hear a sound he didn’t want to hear; the sound of flowing water. The ship really was taking on water. It was sinking, if it hadn’t sunk already. Ash found himself stopping where he was as he tried to listen. He had half a mind to go the other way, and try to find another solution. But the storeroom on his map was so close, and if there was any sort of diving apparatus there, he hopefully wouldn’t need to worry too much about the water pouring into the ship.

With a deep breath, he continued to slide down the ramp as carefully as he could, but as he continued to slide, his foot suddenly slipped out from underneath him when one of the ramps had a small bit of moisture on the ramp. Ash tried to catch himself, but suddenly found himself rolling down the ramp uncontrollably, and upon reaching the base, falling off the edge, down towards another ramp. He lost the flashlight, and Pikachu lost his grip and tumbled right beside Ash as he rolled down the small ramp. Ash hit the base of a ramp hard, and found himself in about six inches of water, and Pikachu landed right on top of him.

Ash felt the air leave him as he lay in the shallow water, and tried to get up. Pikachu quickly got off and gave a worried “Pi-ka-chu?” Ash gave a couple sharp coughs as he tried to catch his breath again, before giving a raspy “I’m alright. Are you okay, Pikachu?”

Pikachu gave a small smile as Ash sat up and looked around. It was then that he realized that he’d lost the flashlight. A quick look around revealed nothing, and it wasn’t until Ash carefully ventured towards the edge of the base he was on that he realized that the flashlight was on the level below them, in approximately fifteen to twenty feet of water. “Well... we can’t leave that behind can we? Stay here, Pikachu. I’ll be right back.”

Ash stood up and after a few deep breaths, dove into the water towards the flashlight. The impact of the water was enough to momentarily stun him, as the water was much colder than he anticipated. The saltwater also stung his eyes when he opened them, making it all the more difficult to see. Ash couldn’t let this hinder him however, and remembering his resolve, he forced his arms to claw through the water down to where his flashlight lay, giving off what little light it could. Ash ignored the increasing pressure of the water as he forced himself deeper and deeper to the flashlight. With another stroke through the water, Ash realized that his original estimates were likely a bit off, as it felt like there was more water between him and the flashlight. But with a few more strokes, and a resolve to remain calm in the water, Ash touched the bottom, and grabbed his flashlight, which was thankfully still working.

Upon getting it, Ash planted his feet on the ground and gave a powerful thrust through the water, careful to avoid any of the overhead stairs or railings that would have loved to get in his way. By the time Ash was about twenty feet from surfacing, he was only then beginning to feel the increasing tightness in his chest as his lungs begged for a breath of fresh air. Ash ignored it, as he continued to claw through the water up to where Pikachu was waiting for him, hopefully not in any sort of panic or worry. Ash felt a small spasm, which forced him to give up a few small air bubbles from his mouth, but a few seconds later, his head broke through the surface of the cold water, and he sputtered out the stale air that had been holding in his lungs, and drew in a quick breath.

His body bathed in relief as he felt the base that Pikachu was waiting for him on, and as Ash grabbed onto the base and pulled himself out, he did his absolute best to compose himself and recover from his trip down. Pikachu rushed to his side and cried out “Pika pi!” Ash groaned and pulled himself onto the ramp out of the water that the base was on, and as he did that, Ash couldn’t help but realize that the water was steadily increasing. He couldn’t sit around too long. Ash began to shiver as he did his best to fight the temperature of the water, now clinging onto his clothes, but after a few seconds, Ash sat up and said, “Pikachu, get on.”

Thankfully, the storage area was listed to be on this level, but it was still a bit of a journey down the hall from the stairwell he was currently on, in water that was waist deep at least. Ash looked at Pikachu as the yellow mouse climbed onto his back, and said, “Let’s just keep our eyes on the goal, Pikachu. We’re gonna get out of this. Hopefully we’ll find something down here that can help us.”

“Chuuu...” Pikachu replied a bit unsure.

“Don’t worry, Pikachu.” Ash said steeling his resolve, as he began to walk into the water, and down into the hallway. It was difficult to see through the water, even with the flashlight, and with the water steadily churning, Ash could only hope that any obstacles at his feet didn’t hinder him too much. He just put one foot in front of the other as he waded through the water, past cabins, many of which were open. Ash was thankful that throughout his ordeal, he’d seen no bodies, which told him that hopefully, everyone had made it off the ship... well, everyone except him anyway. But the fact that no one else seemed to be aboard was reassuring, because a gaze into anyone’s room, and one could see personal belongings that people were either unable to bring with them, or had forgotten.

Ash kept wading through the water, which was slowly and steadily creeping up his waistline, when he could go no further. “Huh? Oh no!”

In front of him was a large metal barrier, which now separated the storage room from the cabins in the hall. Ash ran up through the water as quick as he could, and tried his hardest to pry it open, but a few tugs only told him that the barrier was there to stay. Ash had no idea if the barrier was meant to keep passengers out, in case there was unsafe materials kept behind the barrier, or if it was perhaps a barrier that accidentally activated when she ship capsized, but after a few more bangs and tugs, Ash was forced to backtrack.

As he walked, he pulled out the map from his pocket, which was now even harder to read having endured a trip underwater, but Ash studied the map intently. He looked for any other solution in the immediate vicinity. And as he studied the map, he realized that there was an entrance on the other side of the storage area he was at, that didn’t look as conspicuous. That was because it seemed to be in an area restricted to the crew of the ship. If that was the case, Ash could still get into this storage area potentially, and hopefully it wouldn’t have the same barrier that was now blocking his entry now! But of course there was a catch...

To get there, required a bit of a trip. And a large chunk of that trip required him to swim to the next level below him, through the hall, up the staircase, and locate the area this way.

As Ash approached the staircase he’d originally came from, he tried his best to find any other way that might provide a safe solution out of this. But he wasn’t finding any. With each step toward the staircase, he could feel his heart beating quicker in anxiety for what he knew he had to do... and what the risk was.

Upon reaching the stairwell, Ash gazed down into the deep dark water that seemed to taunt him for what it was making him go through. Ash shut his eyes, tried to block out any thoughts he had as far as what would happen if he were to fail, before he looked to Pikachu.

Without another word, he set the Pikachu down on the ramp, which was almost halfway underwater, and Ash opened up his backpack, and pulled out a red and white sphere with a yellow lightning bolt on it. Pikachu took a look at it, and his eyes widened. “Pi!”

“Pikachu, I’m sorry, you’re going to have to go into your Pokéball.”

“Pi-ka!” Pikachu objected, shaking his head vigorously.

“Pikachu, this isn’t up for debate. You’ll be safe in there. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Ash said, holding the Pokéball out, ready to recall his friend.

Pikachu however continued to cry out and object. Ash didn’t need to understand his partner to know what the little mouse was saying. Pikachu wasn’t so much afraid of going into the Pokéball, he was more concerned about what would happen to Ash. Ash honestly couldn’t help but smile at his partner. The two had been through so much on their journey together, and Ash honestly never thought he’d need to withdraw Pikachu into his Pokéball again. But the desperation of the matter at hand trumped everything on the table.

Ash gave Pikachu a reassuring pat on the head and said, “I know how you feel... but I can’t let you remain out here any longer. It isn’t safe. And what needs to be done will be easier if you’re in your Pokéball.” Pikachu looked at Ash with visible tears beginning to form in his eyes. Ash tried to quell any emotion building up in his own body, and said with a bit of a hoarse voice, “Don’t worry buddy. We’ll be out of this before you know it. I won’t let anything bad happen... I promise.”

Ash knew that promise he’d just foolishly made very well might have been for nothing. Ash had no idea what was ahead of him. The only thing on his mind however was guaranteeing Pikachu’s safety. He shut his eyes, and pointed the sphere at Pikachu, and pressed the button. “Return.”

A moment later, Pikachu’s body was transformed into a stream of light, and returned to his Pokéball. Ash held it to his face, and said, “I promise, Pikachu... it won’t be long... I’m sorry...” As soon as he said this, he engaged the locking mechanism on the Pokéball. Pikachu was not a fan of the Pokéball, and on the relative few times Ash had needed to recall him into it, Pikachu had a surprising amount of willpower to break free of the Pokéball. The lock would prevent Pikachu from breaking out. Ash simply sighed in sadness, because the thoughts were starting to come in, no matter how hard he tried to fight them. At least Pikachu would be safe if the worst case scenario happened, and Ash didn’t make it. Hopefully there would be some sort of salvage operation for the ship, and hopefully, he’d be found, and his Pokémon could be released or given new homes...

Ash clipped the Pokéball to his belt, and once more faced the deep water, which was still rising, and rising a bit faster. Ash knew that time was a luxury he no longer had. He began to take deep breaths in and out, in and out, in and out. He flooded his lungs with as much fresh air as he could before letting it out, and finally, with a thought of _‘Here goes nothing...’_ , he took the deepest breath he could, and dove back into the deep water.

The shock of cold water thankfully wasn’t as impactful as he dove in, but the cold temperature continued to bite at him as he did everything he could to force himself into the dark water, his flashlight only able to illuminate a small portion of the way. His vision was blurred in the dark water, and the saltwater still stung on contact, but Ash did everything he could to power through it. His life was on the line, and any moment’s delay could be lethal. Ash stroked through the deep water, doing his best to see, equalize any pressure that nagged at him, and swim at a swift, but gentle pace. He couldn’t be careless in his movements, or he’d only expend his air that much faster, and Ash was guessing he’d need every bit of air he’d taken in.

About ten seconds into the dive, he came upon the hallway, which thankfully, from what he could tell looked pretty clear. He wasted no time entering the dark hall, which was decently hard to navigate. Ash hadn’t taken into account just what he would be swimming through. Everywhere, sheets floated around that had escaped the beds of their respective cabins, as did articles of clothing, or bits of paper, or other bits of debris that weren’t exactly dense enough to sink, but not buoyant enough to float up to the ceiling. Ash clawed past sheets, and clothes, keeping as sharp an eye out as he could for any exit.

About 45 seconds into his swim, he began to feel his lungs signaling a need to breathe, but Ash pushed the thought aside as best as he could. He just continued to swim through the dark water, air bubbles escaping his clothing, with each kick, and his mouth now and then in an effort to help settle his lungs. Ash blinked a few times as he fought against the elements, and did his best to give the best stroke he could with each thrust of his arms, but his clothing was making each kick or stroke heavier, and his feet were heavy as he had not taken off his shoes.

It had been over a minute since Ash had dove in, and he was still venturing down the hall, but a few seconds later, he came upon a familiar sight. The end of the hall, but at that particular point, his chest gave a big spasm, and with a gurgled grunt, he felt his lungs kick out a good chunk of the air he was holding. He needed to breathe, and quick. Thinking fast, he looked around and spotted an open cabin, and though he knew the chances of it being completely flooded were high, he immediately went for it. He dove headfirst through the doorway, and headed for what would be the ceiling, expecting to hit his head, but as if to catch a lucky break, he came upon a very small pocket of air! He drew deep breaths in and out, refreshing his lungs, but before he could thank his lucky stars for the pocket of air, he realized that he had found this pocket of air in the nick of time, because the water was rising up past his neck, and was about to fill up the rest of the pocket. Ash grunted as he felt his head hit the ceiling, and with as much as he could muster, he took another deep breath, and submerged.

Now the clock was really against Ash, because there was no way the breath he’d just taken was as good a breath as the one he’d initially taken when diving down. He swam out of the cabin and made a quick stroke toward the staircase. All he had to do was swim up these stairs, and hopefully, if he was lucky, the level above wouldn’t be completely flooded yet, and the storage area would be accessible. Ash wasted no time, he stroked and clawed and kicked through the water toward the staircase, ignoring the burning sensations on his eyes, in his nose, and lungs. The staircase was right there, all he had to do was swim up, and-

Oh no...

Mere inches from the stairwell, an object came into Ash’s blurred vision feet from his face. A large gate. It wasn’t like the metal barrier up above with the storage area, this wasn’t even mechanical, it was just a sliding gate. But when Ash tried to slide it out of the way, the gate wouldn’t budge...

It was stuck!

When Ash realized this, he let out a flurry of bubbles in surprise as the desperation flooded his mind, and panic quickly followed. He grabbed the metal bars of the gate and threw his body weight into trying to yank it open again and again, and with each thrust and tug, he could feel his energy leaving, and the burning sensations only increasing.

Ash gave a gurgled grunt as he did everything he could to try and open the gate, but it wouldn’t budge. He kept trying to think of his predicament and how important it was for him to get this gate open, but those thoughts were soon drowned out by thoughts of dread and panic. He was stuck. There was no way he’d be able to turn back and swim out the way he came! Why was this happening to him? How did he get in this trouble? What would his mother think when she found out? What about his friends?

“Grrblblrbl!” Ash grunted out in a bubbly spasm, as he felt his chest beginning to heave in an attempt to take a breath. Ash’s cheeks puffed out and in, as he tried to suppress any urge to breathe, but it was only getting harder. Ash let go of the gate and began to kick at it, giving off gurgled grunts with each hit. _‘Come on! Come on! Open! OPEN!’_

He began to desperately pound against the gate, making the metal rattle in the water, but no matter what he did, no matter how hard he hit it, the gate still blocked his exit.

Ash felt his chest spasm again, and his hands clenched into fists, and his nails dug into his gloves, biting his palms. He wanted to try and swim back the other way but now no matter what kind of move he did, he barely felt himself move. Each movement resulted in him releasing disparate muffled grunts, and small air bubbles from his nose and mouth. His chest finally heaved greatly, and gave another spasm, forcing him to kick out the stale air he held. "BWAAARGHGLLL!" He shook his head as he tried desperately to hold it, suppress the urge to breathe. He shut his mouth and tried to cover it with his hands, but that didn’t help anything. He tried to power through it, tried to resist the temptation to open his lungs to the sea, and it only made the feelings of dread feel ten times worse!

And it all led up to this...

Unable to hold it any longer, Ash, opened his mouth, and felt his chest draw a sharp breath. His eyes widened as he felt the water rush into his throat, and felt his throat constrict to try and block the water in a gurgled gasp. He then felt his chest give a sharp cough, followed by an even sharper inhalation of water. Ash’s hands grasped at his throat as he felt his body curl up in a fetal position, as he tried desperately to breathe, his lungs finding only water to draw in.

It felt terrible. Unable to swim, as Ash coughed up any last bits of air, only for it to be quickly replaced by the sea, he recoiled and thrashed, his body kicking in an uncharacteristic manner as his body desperately tried to kick out the water he swallowed, and draw in any bit of air, anything that would allow him to breathe... But eventually the struggles began to weaken.

Ash felt the sharp coughing slowly begin to cease. One last cough, sent a few very tiny bits of air trickling from his mouth, but nothing else. His mouth opened slowly, in weak watery pants, but it did nothing to soothe his dire need for oxygen. Strangely enough however, the initial pains he’d felt were beginning to subside, as his hands relaxed, and his body slowly sank to the floor. The flashlight which was still in his hands gave a small wink, before it slipped from his grip and quickly fell to the floor with a dull thud.

Ash couldn’t help but want to cry if the sea would have allowed him. As his vision began to fade, he couldn’t help but think of his friends and family who he’d never see again, or the Pokémon he’d caught in his tenure as a trainer, that he’d never interact with again. He thought of Pikachu... and how the poor Pokémon was probably worried sick in his Pokéball, and how sorry he was that he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise that he’d made earlier...

Ash felt his body hit the floor with a dull sensation, and he felt his eyes slowly closing... He guessed this was it. He had no idea what to expect next, but he found himself strangely ready for it. As his vision began to darken, and his eyes began to slowly shut, his flashlight winked out, leaving him in darkness, but not before he made out what looked to be a strange figure floating toward him, very close...

Ash wasn’t sure, but he could have bet that he felt something grab onto his limp hand, pull him up, and.... kiss him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking this out. I wrote this with the mindset that there’s not enough good erotic works involving mermaids out there, so I’m doing everything I can to add a few more out there. If it’s not obvious by now, this will involve the coupling of Ash and Misty, and yes, they're both adults (I don't write underage, sorry), and I’m hoping to write out a nice fun, and passionate story between the two of them beneath the waves, because let’s face it... it really is better down where it’s wetter.
> 
> I’d love to hear feedback, and I will try and get this finished in a timely manner. I don't see this being a super long story as far as chapters are concerned, but I do like to add a bit of a fun story when I write erotica, so I certainly hope I can entertain there.


	2. The Tomboyish Mermaid

What could only be described as a small jolt of life, suddenly entered the mind of Ash. Despite feeling incredibly weak and tired, Ash could feel his mind stirring, he could feel his strength returning, he could feel all of his senses returning to him. Ash felt the pain in his lungs fade and he gave a small sigh, which strangely felt relieving. He wasn’t sure but he could have swore that he felt something holding onto his hand, and rubbing it very gently. Ash couldn’t help but stir, but as much as he wanted to wake up, he felt more tired than anything.

“...Ash?” A familiar voice softly called out.

Ash heard the call and gave a bit of a grunt, and forced his eyes to open. His vision was incredibly blurry, forcing him to blink multiple times. In fact, his eyes felt heavy as if something was pressing against them. It was then that Ash realized his environment was... different. As his senses began to return, he took note of a cool, but not unpleasant sensation enveloping him, and a familiar heaviness all about him. Another blink and he realized that his hearing seemed a bit different as well. It wasn’t so much a crisp sense of hearing, everything seemed a bit almost amplified, and it wasn’t until Ash lifted his other hand that he realized that it was passing through a thick fluid.

Underwater! Ash was underwater!

At the realization, Ash seemed to dart up, losing his hat briefly, trying instinctively not to breathe, and looked for a way to the surface, before something grabbed him and that familiar voice said urgently “Ash, relax! You’re okay! Just relax!”

As the voice said this, Ash inadvertently breathed in... but after a moment passed, he just felt his lungs effortlessly push the breath of water out, before drawing another breath back in. Ash blinked as he realized his vision was starting to sharpen just a bit. He rubbed his throat with his free hand. He was breathing. He was breathing underwater. That didn’t seem possible! Ash could remember being trapped underwater, unable to get a gate open, and taking in painful breaths of water that rendered him helpless. What was going on? How was he breathing?

“I know this probably feels a little strange to you. Sorry, I kinda had to act fast...” the voice said again, before putting Ash’s ball cap back on his head gently.

Ash blinked a few more times as he was sat against a wall, and gently adjusted his hat out of habit. He finally lifted his head and tried to focus. A figure was swimming not too far away from him. A few seconds later, his vision cleared up, and when he saw who was floating in front of him, his eyes widened. “M-Misty?” He heard himself ask out loud, in a bit of a strangely gurgled, reverberated voice.

“Hi Ash...” she replied with a soft smile.

Indeed it was Misty who floated before him, with that same soft friendly face he remembered her often having when she was with him. While normally, her hair would be tied in a short pigtail, her short fiery red hair was down, to about the base of her neck. Her soft green eyes were fixated on Ash as he sat against the wall gazing to her.

Ash had not seen or heard from Misty in years. The last he’d really heard from her was about six or seven years ago. She’d mentioned going on some extended trip, and how she didn’t know when she would be back. Ash had numerous times tried to get in contact with her at the Cerulean City Gym, but no one ever had an answer for him to where she was, whether it was the temporary leader presiding over the gym, or her sisters, or anyone else. And now... here she was. But how was she here? Did she get trapped on the ship as well? And for that matter... how was she breathing underwater as well?

Before Ash could ask himself anymore questions, he realized something peculiar. There was something... different about her. For one thing, she was barely clothed. Aside from a bra covering her breasts, she was wearing nothing. Ash wasn’t one to sneak a peak at someone who was barely clothed, but he found himself unable to resist the temptation, and he glanced down her body, and was immediately taken by surprise.

Where he expected to see legs, Misty now had a long aquatic tail where her legs would have normally been. The tail was slender, flexible, and looked smooth to the touch, yet tiny scales were visible with each gentle kick she made. Near the hip were a couple smaller fins lighter than the tail, which was light blue-teal in color, and the large fluke where her feet normally would be matched the color of those fins. Ash gazed at the tail, in bewilderment. “You’re.. you’re- you’re a-...” Ash couldn’t even find it in himself to finish the sentence. He knew that Misty had the nickname as the Cerulean Gym leader as the Tomboyish Mermaid, but he never would have thought it actually meant anything more than Misty being an expert Water Pokémon trainer.

Misty heard his bewildered statement and gave a small giggle, and a smile that almost hid a little embarrassment. “Yeah, I am.”

“When did this happen?” Ash asked feeling himself try to push slowly away from her, only to realize he was already against the wall. “How did this happen? I mean...”

Misty frowned a bit at the question, “‘When did this happen?’ What do you mean? I’ve always been like this. Just because you and I traveled together on land doesn’t mean I didn’t keep a few secrets from you.” Misty said, maybe with a little hint of offense in the voice.

Ash heard it and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything, I just... well I never thought...”

Misty couldn’t help but smile at his speechless state. “I guess I can’t really blame you. I traveled with you for all those years, and never said anything about it. You probably never expected something like this.”

“To put it lightly...” Ash replied, finding himself unable to take his gaze away from her. He couldn’t help but gaze at her. Despite being in a dark hall, he could see surprisingly well, it was almost as if the submerged hallway had a dim light in the hall, but none of the lights were on. Ash shook himself from the thought and asked, “But... what are you doing here? Were you a passenger on board here?”

Misty giggled and kicked her tail a couple times keeping herself afloat, and said, “No, I just heard that a ship went down around here, and I came to investigate. Sometimes when ships like these sink, Pokéballs can be left behind, and if I’m in the area, I do my best to find any that might have Pokémon in them, and I return them to the coast guard, hopefully where they’ll be reunited with their trainers. Anonymously of course.”

“Really?” Ash asked. “That’s... actually kinda cool,” he said with a smile. But that was when a small moment of realization hit him. “But wait, that means that if you weren’t in the area, and didn’t find this ship when you did...”

Misty giggled, and replied “Just consider yourself lucky. I’m not sure I would have done the same for anyone else stupid enough to get themselves trapped on a sunken ship like this.”

Ash was about to offer a rebuttal, but just gave a watery sigh, which resulted in tiny air bubbles leaving his mouth. “So... I’m only alive, and able to breathe right now, because of you?”

Misty couldn’t help but look away as if slightly embarrassed. “Well, yeah...”

“How do you do that?” Ash asked, focusing on Misty, genuinely curious.

Misty blushed and said, “Well... you see, if a mermaid- We’re able to...” Ash couldn’t held but notice the blush in Misty’s cheeks and the difficulty she was going through try and explain this. It was confusing, but at the same time, Ash couldn’t help thinking at just how cute it was. Maybe it was just the sound of her voice that he hadn’t heard for so long, maybe it was bringing him back to the old days when he, she, and Brock traveled the world together. While Ash traveled with many other companions since then, he’d remembered the emotional parting both he and Misty had when she was needed to return to Cerulean to take over the gym. Ash had taken it pretty hard, and he often thought about her. Misty finally took a deep breath and said, “If a mermaid kisses someone, they’re able to breathe underwater.”

Ash felt his eyes widen a bit. “If a mermaid... kisses someone?” Now it was Ash’s turn to blush.

“Yeah.” Misty said, beginning to recover from her own blushing. “But don’t get reckless. If you surface, you won’t be able to breathe underwater anymore, unless you’re kissed again...”

Ash heard that statement, but the only thing going through his mind was the fact that Misty had kissed him. She’d really kissed him. And of course he was unconscious for it... Ash tried his best to block out those thoughts, before he gazed at her. “I can also see a lot better than I normally would underwater...”

Misty nodded and said, “Your body should honestly be pretty well adapted to the underwater environment. You can breathe, see, the cold temperature won’t really bother you, neither will the pressure...”

Ash could indeed confirm that he was surprisingly comfortable for a human underwater. Breathing the heavy liquid felt very strange, but at the same time, his lungs were feeling absolutely no discomfort. Ash had no idea how it was possible, but he wasn’t about to question a good thing. Aside from breathing, he also felt no ill effects from the pressure, or temperature. Heck, the saltwater didn’t even sting his eyes, or even taste foul. If it wasn’t for the fact that he still had legs, he’d probably feel just like a fish. “I’m not gonna grow a tail now, will I?” Ash asked almost in a slight tease.

“Oh, you only know you’d want to grow one.” Misty said offering the tease right back, and a small flick of her tail against his legs.

Ash couldn’t help but laugh with her, the last of the tiny air bubbles trapped in his body leaving his mouth in the laugh. After he settled down, his gaze returned to Misty, and their eyes met, and for the first time, Ash almost felt the gaze form her to be rather... warm. It made him blush gently, but he just smiled, and heard himself say out loud, “It’s... it’s really good to see you again, Misty. I’ve really missed you.”

Misty heard that, and offered a blush in return. “I’ve... I’ve missed you too Ash. If you need to know, I returned to the sea a few years ago, because I needed a little time away from the land, particularly because I missed traveling with you.”

“I feel like I could bore you with so many of the stories I could tell you about what’s happened since you’ve been gone...” Ash said with a smile. “So much has happened that I wish you could have been there for.”

“There is one thing missing from this picture, however.” Misty said with a small giggle.

“Huh?” Ash asked. “What do you mean?”

“Where’s Pikachu?” Misty asked. “I have to admit that it’s very weird not to see him right beside you.”

“Oh Pikachu!” Ash said, remembering his partner, probably worried sick in its Pokéball. “He’s currently in his Pokéball. I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to make it out of this alive, and... well at least Pikachu would be alright if I put him in.”

“Awww, poor Pikachu.” Misty said with a small tease. “Perhaps I should get you out of here, and help you get to land. I’m sure Pikachu would appreciate getting out of there, sooner rather than later.”

“You’re probably right...” Ash said, looking at the Pokéball on his belt which currently held Pikachu. But he looked back to Misty. “But honestly, I think I really want to help you out, first.”

“Huh?” Misty asked. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know, you said you were here to see if there were any Pokéballs accidentally left onboard when the ship sank. I think that’s really cool. I know that if I accidentally left behind any of my Pokémon, that I would do anything in my power to get them back. Even if it meant diving to the bottom of the sea myself.”

“Just do me a favor and at least remember a rebreather if you’re going to do that.” Misty said with a chuckle. “You really want to help me?”

Ash nodded and finally felt himself kick off from the ground, to swim up to her level. “Yeah. What do you usually do?”

“It’s a slow process, but I usually just check every room I can to make sure that there were no Pokéballs left behind. And if there’s a door I can’t open, I have Staryu break the door down.”

“Your Staryu’s here?” Ash asked with a smile. “It’s feeling like old times already... aside from the whole mermaid thing.”

Misty smiled and said, “Do you have any water Pokémon? Might make this a bit easier.”

Ash smiled embarrassingly at the question, before saying sheepishly, “Honestly, I don’t have a single one with me...”

Misty heard that and gave a hearty giggle that Ash couldn’t help joining in with. “Oh Ash, of all the trips to forget one... I would hope that traveling with me, you’d realize just how handy they can be sometimes.”

“Get me out of here, and I promise you, I’ll never travel without one again.” Ash said with a small wink.

Misty looked around and said, “Well, I was pretty much done checking rooms in this hall, when I noticed you struggling with the gate over there.” Misty said.

“Yeah, I was hoping to get it open, because according to the map of the ship I had, there was an opening to a storage area up on the next level. It’s blocked off from the other side. I was hoping maybe there’d be some diving apparatus or something else to help me get out of here.”

“A storage area?” Misty asked. “Can I see your map?”

Ash shrugged and reached into his pocket and did his best to pull out the waterlogged folded paper. It tore easily as he tried to unfold it, but not badly enough to the point where it wasn’t unreadable. He showed Misty the map and said “Here. I was trying to get here.”

“Ash, this is actually a place we really should get into!” Misty said a bit urgent. “I doubt you would have found any diving gear in there, but it resembles a storage area where Pokémon are stored. If they weren’t able to empty the area before the ship sank, there could be some Pokémon that were left behind. And I wouldn’t want to think of what might happen if they didn’t get to the people who are expecting them...”

Ash didn’t want to think of such an unpleasant thought. The thought of losing any of his Pokémon because they were lost at sea, vulnerable to anything, from treasure hunters to the currents, just made him uneasy. “Then let’s get in that storage area. If there’s any Pokémon left here, we’ll make sure they make it out of here.”

Misty smiled and said, “I can see your usual determination hasn’t left you. Let’s do it.” Misty looked over to the gate, and swam to the staircase, and Ash followed behind her, stroking through the water, finding it rather easy to swim through when he didn’t have to worry about breathing so much. Misty grabbed the gate and gave a few powerful kicks with her tail, but the gate still wouldn’t budge. She grunted with each tug, and said, “Either the gate took a beating when the ship capsized, or it took a much bigger beating from you when you were trying to open it.” Misty said with a tease.

Ash swam over and attempted to open it with her, but sure enough, the gate seemed pretty stuck. “We have to get it open, we won’t be able to access the storage area above if we go the other way.” Ash looked around, and noticed some of the hallway doors were open. “Maybe one of these rooms has something we can use to pry open the gate with.

Misty nodded. “It’s worth checking.”

With that, they both swam and began checking the rooms. Ash pushed open the door to the room nearest him, while Misty swam by and checked another room. As she kicked on by, Ash couldn’t help but gaze at her figure as she gracefully kicked through the water, and entered one of the rooms. Ash couldn’t help but remember all those years ago during a particular trip to Cerulean City, how Misty had been pressured into partaking in an underwater ballet put together by her sisters, in which she portrayed a mermaid. Ash couldn’t help but remember just how beautiful Misty looked in that ballet.

Then it hit Ash. Misty performed really well in that ballet. Was she in her real form then? Ash pondered it for a moment, before shaking his head. The tail back then was slightly different, and he’d saw the costume given to her that day. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if Misty’s swimming ability, and talent in the water had anything to do with the fact that all along, she was a mermaid. And that wasn’t to mention her sisters. If Misty was a mermaid, it was a safe bet that they were too. Ash remembered the call they made to her about them leaving the gym. Was there more to that story than they let on?

“Ash, what are you doing just floating there?” Misty asked as she swam out of the room she just checked. “Did you find anything?”

“Oh, sorry... I just kinda spaced out for a moment.” Ash said, suddenly brought back to reality, before swimming into the room to look for any kind of item to help their situation, but not before letting himself watch her swim into another room. What was it that made her look so beautiful as she simply swam?

Ash gazed around the room, feeling his feet sink to the ground. One of the weird sensations about breathing underwater was that his body felt heavier in water than usual. He guessed it made sense, seeing how his lungs, which normally would be full of air, making his body buoyant, were now filled completely with water. He found it was much easier to simply sink, but it was still easier to swim about. He got to his knees and started sifting through some of the loose debris in the water, trying to find anything that could get the gate open, but aside from some wooden blocks floating towards the ceiling, and other junk that lay sunken on the ground, there was nothing.

Ash swam from the room, and just as he was about to swim to another room, he noticed a broken case near the wall, which was coated in red paint. Ash recognized it immediately as a box that would normally hold something like a fire axe in case of an emergency, but upon swimming to the box, realized that the ship’s capsizing had dislodged the tools, and proven the case. But they couldn’t have gotten far...

Ash looked around, until he noticed something he hadn’t noticed before. Inside the gated stairwell, there was a crowbar! Even better than a fire axe! And while it was a bit of a reach just by the descending stairwell ramp, almost hanging over the edge, enough reach, and Ash would be able to grasp it! “Perfect!” He heard himself say aloud, and he immediately swam to the gate, and got down as low as he could, trying to reach for the crowbar.

Misty probably heard his exclamation, because shortly afterward, she emerged from one of the rooms, and swam over. “Did you find something?”

“There’s a crowbar by the ramp!” Ash said reaching as far as he could under the gate to try and reach the crowbar. Unfortunately, his initial reach was short by what seemed like mere inches. Ash tried to push into the gate, but he wasn’t able to reach it! “I just... need... a little more room!” Ash said pushing with all his might.

Misty saw what he was trying to do and said, “Keep pushing!” She then placed her back against the gate, and began giving powerful kicks with her tail. Ash could feel the gate being pushed in with each kick, and he could feel his reach getting closer and closer to the crowbar. The gate fought against the combined weight of the two, even going as far as to catch Ash’s clothing up beneath some of the bars, and even give Ash a few small cuts along his shoulder and neck area, but Ash ignored the stinging as he felt his finger graze the crowbar. “Just a little more!” He grunted.

Misty gave one more big kick with her tail, and Ash managed to grasp into the end of the crowbar, and bring it to the gate. “Got it!”

“Way to go, Ash!” Misty said with a smile, as Ash maneuvered the crowbar under the gate, and got himself free from the gate’s entanglements. He rubbed the scrapes the gate had given him gently, before he smiled to Misty. “No problem.” He said. “Didn’t realize your kicks could be so powerful like that.”

Misty wasn’t sure how to take that compliment, but she politely smiled and said, “Let’s get this gate open.”

“Right.” Ash said, stroking over to where the gate met the wall, and did his best to maneuver the crowbar between the two. He couldn’t help but realize just how easy this was, not needing to worry about holding his breath. He couldn’t help but feel as if he had just suddenly learned how to fly in a way. The sensation he was feeling right now was unlike anything he’d ever imagined.

After a few fumbles, Ash got the crowbar in between the gate and the wall, and did his best to plant his feet on the ground. Being in the water, it was still a bit difficult, but as he pried, he realized how Misty probably would have had a bit more trouble, since she lacked her legs. He guessed underwater, his legs were still pretty handy to have. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the silly thought, but his chuckle was interrupted as the gate gave a sharp snap, and the gate came loose. “Got it!”

Ash and Misty finally pulled the busted gate aside, and Misty smiled in triumph. “Alright! Let’s go see if any Pokémon are in that storage area!”

“After you.” Ash said with a smile, and watched as Misty kicked past the gate, and up the stairwell. Ash once more couldn’t help but admire her form as she gracefully kicked until she was out of site, up the upside down stairwell. Ash let out a deep watery sigh and dropped the crowbar before he too swam up the stairwell to join her. A few seconds later, he was surprised when his head actually broke the surface of the water.

Upon breaking the surface, Ash felt his vocal chords give a gurgling moan as his lungs immediately pushed out the water he’d breathed in. When his lungs once more breathed in the air, Ash began a sharp coughing fit, as any bit of water left in his lungs suddenly felt foreign. Had Misty not been there, Ash likely would have sank below the surface, and struggled to remain afloat, but Misty grabbed him, and dragged him onto a base which was in shallow water, as Ash continued to cough out any bit of water that was in his body.

“Sorry, I guess I should have warned you about that. The transition between breathing underwater, and breathing air again is a bit rough. I didn’t realize this section wasn’t flooded yet.” Misty said apologetically, as Ash struggled to catch his breath.

He gave another sharp cough, and said, “Yeah, you could say it’s a bit rough.” Ash said starting to breathe a bit better, though the darkness, and cold temperature of the waist deep water once more became a factor. Thankfully however, the storage area was dimly lit with what appeared to be emergency lights, so they weren’t in complete darkness. Ash couldn’t help but shiver again as the cold water, which stuck to his clothing and skin began to bite. As strange as it was to think, he couldn’t wait to get back in the water again, where he wouldn’t have to worry about that...

Misty looked towards the storage area, and said, “The water doesn’t seem to be very deep. I don’t know why this area hasn’t flooded yet.”

“Might be a few more of those barriers I first encountered that are keeping water out. At least for now.” Ash said, fighting a shiver as best as he could. He clenched his fists, feeling some of the water wring out of his waterlogged gloves, before taking off his hat and shaking it loose of any excess water. He then stood up, and waded through the waist-deep water to the storage area.

The area consisted of a chain-linked fence, and a gate which was padlocked. And with the ship being upside down, the gate was much higher than usual. When Ash noticed the padlock, he gave a soft curse and said, “I dropped the crowbar at the gate down below. Would you mind grabbing it? Being able to see and all?” Ash asked with a small smile and a chuckle.

Misty returned the chuckle before diving into the water with ease. Ash once more couldn’t help but wade over as fast as he could, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of her swimming down the stairwell, but the darkness of the water prevented him any such pleasure. He gave a small sigh, as he stood there in the cold water waiting for her return.

He felt his eyes close, and as soon as they closed, the sight of Misty entered his mind again. He couldn’t help but picture her grace as she swam through the water with ease. He couldn’t help but think himself a rather clumsy swimmer by comparison. Of course he was. Misty was at home in the water. She was born to swim. Of course she looked amazing doing it.

Why was Ash feeling this way? He couldn’t help but remember back when they were both much younger, and how often the two had nagged at each other, argued with each other, or got in each other’s faces. There were times when Ash back then genuinely could not stand the sight of her. Which was funny thinking back on it all, seeing as how the only real reason she really tagged along with him was that he was personally responsible for destroying a bicycle she owned. It was hard to imagine him ever developing the feelings he was suddenly feeling.

But then again, was it really so sudden? Despite the hard times the two had, there were a lot of really good times too. For every tease, there was a shared laugh. For every argument, there were moments they shared in comfort. For every moment one of them felt down, they were always there to help each other stand up again. Truth be told, Ash didn’t realize just how much Misty meant to him as a friend, until the day she left his company. Perhaps Ash didn’t realize just how much she meant to him in so many more ways until recent years, when he’d been trying to get in contact with her...

His thoughts were interrupted as Misty broke the surface and held up the crowbar. “Here you go.”

“Huh? Oh, thanks...” Ash said as he was brought back to reality.

Misty must have noticed this, because she cocked her head slightly, and asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, why do you ask?” Ash asked, maybe just a bit sheepishly.

“You just seem a bit out of it.” Misty said, maybe a bit worried. “You’re not getting too cold or anything are you?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that.” Ash said, “I guess I was just letting my mind wander a bit.”

Misty looked up at him, a bit unsure, but she nodded and said, “Well, let’s get that gate open, and see if any Pokémon were left behind.”

“Right.” Ash said, wading back over to the gate. Prying open this gate proved to be much more difficult than the gate he’d pried open below, which was much more flimsy in comparison. Ash found trying to break the padlock, and the chain it held in place much more challenging. For about five to ten minutes, Ash stood in the freezing water, trying to break the lock. The cold temperature of the water wasn’t making it very easy. With each pry and forceful push or pull, he only fumbled the crowbar, to the point where he dropped it back in the water. He cursed, and was about to submerge himself to grab it, when he suddenly realized, “What am I doing?”

He reached for his belt, and pressed a button on one of his Pokéballs. “Bayleef, I choose you!”

In a flash of light, his Bayleef suddenly appeared, with a determined “Bay!” The grass Pokémon seemed to pay no heed to the cold water now surrounding her, but instead looked to Ash for directions. Ash beckoned to the padlocked gate and said “Bayleef, use Razor Leaf on that gate!”

Bayleef eyed the padlocked gate and with a twirl of her head and a determined “Baaay-Leaf!”, she threw multiple razor sharp grass blades at the padlocked gate. A few hits from the attack, and the chains were sliced clean as if it were nothing more than paper. The padlock and the spent chain fell from the gate, and splashed into the water weakly. Ash smiled as it happened, and said “Great job, Bayleef, now lets get you out of this water. Return!”

Ash returned Bayleef to her Pokéball, before placing the Pokéball back on his belt. Misty swam up beside him, as best as she could in the shallow water and said, “I don’t suppose you could have thought of that earlier?” In a bit of a tease.

Ash smiled a bit, almost forgetting the cold water and said, “I guess I never was the quickest thinker.” Ash approached the gate, and opened it as best as he could. Though, the upside down nature of the room made getting through a bit more difficult. Ash actually had to climb the fence a bit and jump through the doorway to get into the storage room, and Misty had no way of doing the same. Ash was about to make his climb when he realized that Misty would need his help. He looked down to her, and asked, ,”Would you like some help?”

Misty, grabbing the face, heard the question and gave a small blush. “Uh, yeah... I could use a little.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat as before he thought, he found himself kneeling in the water, offering to pick her up. Misty realized this, and couldn’t help but blush, but after a moment, she let go of the fence, and wrapped her arms around his neck, and guided her tail into his arms. Ash took a deep breath, and lifted with all his might. He didn’t realize a mermaid could be so heavy out of the water. He guessed it made sense, seeing as how Misty probably had a lot of muscle in her tail for swimming, and was also soaking wet. But Ash just made sure he held on to her tightly, as he lifted her out of the water, and did his best with a grunt to set her on the lip of the upside down gate.

Misty immediately grabbed the fence, and slid out of his arms,but before allowing herself to slide into the half-flooded storage room, she gave Ash a small smile, and said, “Nice lifting.” With another hint of a tease.

Ash couldn’t help but chuckle a bit in embarrassment. “So I’m not as strong as a Machoke. I’m just glad I didn’t drop you.”

Misty smiled and allowed herself to drop into the storage room, while Ash climbed up the lip and leapt over himself. The storage room was a bit of a mess with a lot of empty drawers floating around, smashed furniture, and waterlogged papers just floating around. Ash waded through the mess, sifting the water, looking for any signs of any Pokéballs that were occupied. Misty looked at him and said “I’ll see if any are underwater. You make sure none of them are left in here.”

“Right.” Ash said in confirmation, before Misty submerged herself in the shallow water, leaving Ash to look around the storage area himself. Ash opened up many fallen cabinets, or lockers on the wall which were not locked, but he was not finding anything. He and Misty both knew that there was a good chance that any Pokémon that were being pet here were likely evacuated before the ship sank, but Misty wouldn’t do this if she knew for a fact that every Pokémon in any shipwreck got off safely.

As if on cue, Ash opened up a locker, and four Pokéballs fell into the water. Ash was quick to scoop them up before they fell, and sure enough, they were occupied. “Alright! Don’t worry you guys, we’ll make sure you get back to your trainers.” Ash then took off his backpack, and put them inside. It was about five seconds later than Misty surfaced holding three.

“Found some!”

Ash waded over, and offered her the backpack, and she dropped them inside, before they both returned to searching. They continued searching the area for another five minutes, finding a few more Pokéballs, before a metallic grunt was heard. Ash froze what he was doing as he realized that the water level was beginning to steadily rise. The storage area was starting to flood again.

Misty surfaced and deposited a few more Pokéballs, saying “I think that’s the last of them down there. Are you finished up here?”

Ash nodded and zipped up his backpack. “Yeah, and not a moment too soon.”

Misty then realized the water level was rising, and said, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were nervous.”

“I guess I don’t have much of a reason to be...” Ash said, realizing that with Misty there, he was safe. “Old habits die hard I guess.”

“Let’s get you out of here.“ Misty said, before swimming to the gate. The water had risen up enough to where she was able to lift herself out of the water and get out of the room on her own, and after Ash put his backpack on again, he swam to the gate, and slipped over it himself.

The water levels continued to rise to the point where Ash could almost touch the ceiling, and as he tried to calm himself, Misty was suddenly by his side. They locked eyes, and realized what was about to happen. But before anything, Misty just said, “I know that this will probably be rather strange for you... just try to relax. You’ll be fine.”

Ash heard her words, and all he could do was smile, and he just said, “I know I will be...”

With that, Misty wrapped her arms around him, and before Ash could even think a second though, she planted her lips to his, and pulled him underwater...

Beneath the surface, Ash was fully enveloped by the cold dark water once more, but despite it all, he barely focused on that. He was focused entirely on the feeling of Misty, her lips pressed against his, her arms wrapped around his neck and back, her tail grazing his legs as she pushed him beneath the surface. It was a surreal moment that seemed to last a lot longer than he thought. Ash was once more lost in his thoughts as she kissed him, and was brought back to all those old thoughts and feelings he’d been experiencing. All the good times, all the memories... and as he let his mind wander... he felt himself return the kiss.

He hadn’t even took his first breath in, and he just no longer fought his feelings. He had really missed Misty. It had been too long. And now that she was right here, saving his life, he just finally knew that this was how he truly felt about her...

Misty felt him return the kiss, and could feel her eyes widen for a brief moment. Was this really happening? She was kissing him to help him survive... he knew that. So... why was he kissing her in return? And... why didn’t she want it to stop? She felt her eyes close again, and the embrace she had around him changed from an embrace to just bring him under with her, to an embrace of passion. And it felt so wonderful when she felt him embrace her lower back gently in return.

Ash gave a bit of a gurgled moan, before he willfully let his air out, gently breaking the kiss. A moment later, he drew in a breath, and though he gave a few watery coughs, as the air in his lungs was coughed out, getting replaced by the water, he felt himself relax after a few seconds, as his body once more began to push the water in and out as normally as he would air. Being able to process breathing the water for the first time while fully conscious, Ash couldn’t help but feel like he had taken his very first breath of life all over again. But as his body once more adjusted to the watery environment, he locked eyes with Misty again.

They both knew what had just happened.

Misty couldn’t help but blush. “Wha- what was that for?” She heard herself shyly ask.

Ash couldn’t hide the blush himself. “Honestly... I think it’s something I’ve been wanting to give you for a long time Misty... I’ve really missed you, and... well... I needed to show you that...” Misty heard that, and gazed into his eyes, looking for any hint of deceit. After a few seconds of her intense gaze, Ash began to panic internally, and wonder if he’d made a huge mistake. Did Misty not feel the same way as he did? Had Ash just put his friendship with Misty in jeopardy? “Please... say something...” he said softly, a few small air bubbles trickling from his mouth.

Misty blushed, and placed a hand on his cheek. “I... I wasn’t completely honest with you earlier.”

“Huh?” Ash asked. “What do you mean?”

“When you asked me how you were able to survive underwater, and when I said that a kiss from a mermaid can help you survive, I was only telling a bit of a half truth. You see, a mermaid’s kiss can only help someone from the surface survive... _if_ that mermaid cares deeply about them.”

When Ash heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He wanted very much to say something. He wanted to find out if Misty was saying what he thought she was saying, but all he could hear himself say was, “M-Misty...?”

Before another word could be said, Misty planted her lips to his once more. And if it wasn’t anymore obvious about what she meant, Ash wouldn’t know what else to think. He felt her push him to the ground of the flooded stairwell, as she kissed him deeply. It wasn’t like before, where she was kissing him to help him survive. There was much more intimacy in this kiss. More passion. More feeling. And Ash allowed himself to get lost in it. He held onto her tightly, and began to kiss her deeply in return, unable to suppress a few watery gurgled moans, as he felt his lungs continue to kick out that last bit of air still trapped in his lungs. He felt his legs wrap around her tail, and felt his fingers start to gently run through her short red hair as the kissed. He also couldn’t help but feel just a little bit of excitement down towards his groin, and that excitement was only stimulated further as he felt her tail rub against him...

Ash wished this moment could have lasted forever. He forgot about where he was, forgot about the predicament he was really in, and forgot about anything else in his life that would have mattered, because in this moment, none of it did. It was just Misty. Nothing else. Was Ash still a bit surprised to have discovered her secret in the way that he had? Sure. But strangely, it didn’t impact the feelings he’d long felt for her, and now that their feelings were made clear, he wasn’t sure any secret she had would have affected him.

Misty gently broke the kiss, and rubbed his face gently, giving him a smile that at first was small, but after a moment, she couldn’t help but smile even bigger. “Oh Ash...”

“Misty...” Ash said, caressing her cheek. “I... I love you. In a way, I feel like I’ve always known it... but I love you so much... and I hope... I hope you know just how much I mean that...”

Misty heard the words, and closed her eyes, almost as if she were thinking about the fact that she’d been gone for so long. Ash had said he’d missed her. It felt unreal that they were only just now discovering their true feelings for one another. Misty looked at him again and couldn’t help but give a small embarrassed smile. “Even... even though I have a tail?”

Ash gave a small chuckle, and repeated, “Misty, I love you. Whether you were born with legs, a tail or anything else.”

“What if I were born with the tentacles of a Tentacruel?” Misty asked almost in a bit of a teasing tone that was masking her happiness at this turn of events.

Ash chuckled at her question, and said, “Misty, really... I know I haven’t seen you in so long, but I’ve-“

Ash was suddenly interrupted by a Staryu that swam up the stairwell. He and Misty saw it, as the Pokémon gave a bit of a “Hyah!”, while approaching Misty. Ash looked over at the Staryu and almost felt another blush returning. Staryu had just swam in on them very much on top of one another. Did the Pokémon have any strong feelings about that? Misty paid no attention to those thoughts and just looked to the Staryu, and after a moment, she gave a small smile, and said “Good job, Staryu. Keep searching the rooms for anymore Pokéballs, while I help our friend here find a way out.”

Ash couldn’t help but smile at Staryu, and said “Hey Staryu, long time no see.”

The Staryu acknowledged Ash with another “Hyah!”, before it swam off in search for more rooms to open and search. As the Staryu swam off, Misty looked down to Ash, and grabbed his hand. “We should get you out of here. You’ve been in this sunken wreck long enough...”

“But... but what about the other rooms? What if there are more Pokéballs to find?” Ash was genuinely curious about this, but at the same time, he was almost afraid that when Misty said she had to help him out, that she meant that she would be taking him to the surface. And Ash wasn’t sure he wanted to go just yet. Not so soon. Not after he’d just declared his feelings for her. It just now occurred to him that he hadn’t even heard her say whether or not she’d loved him back yet.

“Staryu will keep looking.” Misty responded. “But I think it’s time to get you out of here.” She then let go of his hand and got off his body. Ash still couldn’t help but wonder what Staryu might have thought when it saw them as close together as they were, but before he could think more, Misty smiled softly and said, “Follow me.” She then gave a few gentle kicks with her tail down another hall, before swimming down one of the stairwells.

Ash was about ready to call out to her to wait, but after reaching out, and once more just admiring how beautifully she swam through the water, he just kicked off the ground and did his best to swim after her, making sure not to lose his hat as he dove after her down the submerged stairwell...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I put too much effort into this fluff?


	3. The Grotto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope this chapter reads well. I worked on and off this chapter for a few days, so I’m worried some sections might seem clunky. A few things to note though, is this this kinda serves as a part one to this chapter. I have much more in mind, but it was just getting pretty long, and I figured, the rest can go in the next chapter. This is the first time in a while I’ve attempted a more erotic piece of writing, so I certainly hope I deliver there. I just hope no one minds that I refrain from using certain language. In my sex scenes, I refrain from using words like “cock”, “dick”, or even “fuck”, because I just don’t see how those words add. I personally think it just kinda detracts. I won’t rag anyone who writes with them, I just personally don’t use it. 
> 
> Now if you’ll excuse me... I’m gonna go ask myself why I wrote this. Then plan how I intend to finish it up (I don’t think this will go on longer than two more chapters. Was never meant to be anything super long.)

Ash dove down through the upside down stairwell, and guided himself along the walls, clawing through the water, grabbing walls for a little extra momentum, and kicking nonstop as best as he could. Misty however was a natural swimmer. Even when she’d been traveling with Ash back in the day, she had always been a superior swimmer to Ash. As a mermaid, Ash was wondering if an Olympic Swimmer could keep up with her. She was easily turning corners, flipping through the water with ease, and not allowing any sort of obstacle to slow her down. Ash on the other hand looked completely foolish in comparison. His strokes were a bit clumsy, fully clothed, he was heavy and slow, and even being able to breathe underwater, he was overly cautious. But regardless of how silly he looked in comparison to Misty, he did his best to keep up with her, and Misty was generous enough to give him a few glances to give him a basic idea of where to swim to.

After swimming down a few levels, Misty exited the stairwell, and swam down a large corridor. Even underwater and upside down, Ash recognized it as the promenade decks of the ship. Debris from certain furniture that wasn’t bolted to the floor up above, and other items littered the ground below, and the emptiness of the promenade seemed a bit strange. The promenade had always been full of people, whether they were getting a bite to eat, or playing games, Ash had even engaged in a few Pokémon battles this trip. It was strange to see the once crowded decks, reduced to nothing more than an area completely flooded with seawater. However, as Ash made one stroke in, he couldn’t help but smile as a school of Goldeen and Seaking swam past him. And that wasn’t all.

Another blink, and Ash could see that many water types were now in the area. A few remoraid were in the distance, Ash could see some Krabby and Kingler rummaging through the debris on the ground, a group of Horsea and Seadra were interacting along the walls... it was overwhelming. There were too many Water Pokémon to count, and many of them weren’t even native to Kanto! If Ash were ten years younger, he’d have half a mind to send a Pokémon out and try to capture as many as he could. He chuckled at the thought, knowing that none of his Pokémon on-hand likely fancied the thought of battling underwater, and even if they did, Ash wouldn’t be able to throw a Pokéball through the liquid.

“Down here!” Ash heard Misty call, and spotted her beckoning him towards another hallway. Ash didn’t need to be told twice. He swam as fast as he could toward her, maybe confusing a few of the resident Water Pokémon, who weren’t used to seeing humans in their neck of the woods, before she gave a few kicks of her tail and swam down the hall she had beckoned him to. Ash did his best to swim to the hall fast, but upon getting there, and looking down the hall, there was no sign of her anywhere. Ash floated there before the hall, trying to think of what to do next, before giving a watery sigh, adjusting his ball cap again and swimming down the hall.

Each stroke pulled him through the water at a rather clumsy pace, as he felt the drag from his clothing and backpack slowing him down. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he wondered if Misty knew what she was doing. Ash kept swimming down the hall, looking for any sign of her, but she was out of sight. Ash stroked through the water again, before he called her name out. “Misty? Where’d you go?” There was no answer. And Ash couldn’t help but wonder if she even heard him. After all, she was the better swimmer. Would she be aware if she had left him a little far behind?

Ash continued to swim down the hall, until he came to the end, and noticed a window to the left, that led out of the ship. An exit! Ash smiled. He knew Misty had been leading him to the exit, but he did wish she would have waited for him at least. But he just stroked for the window, sure she was waiting for him outside, when suddenly, he felt a firm jerk on the back of his jacket, and he was suddenly pulled through the water, into a small room, no bigger than a coat closet. Ash gave out a surprised grunt as he was pulled in, half expecting some wild Pokémon to be behind it, only instead, he saw Misty’s mischievous face grinning at him when he saw who was holding him.

Ash gazed into those green eyes, and just couldn’t help but get lost in those thoughts again. He knew that the water around them was dark, but being able to see her in this manner, he just couldn’t help but look upon her as the most beautiful person he’d ever laid eyes on. He heard a soft sigh exit his mouth, as his body relaxed, and he lay a hand against her cheek. He really hoped Misty didn’t mind such an advance, but she smiled at his touch, and before he could think, she once more planted her lips to his.

Ash gave a moan of pleasure as he immersed himself in the touch of her lips, eagerly returning the kiss. He even got bold and felt his tongue slip into her mouth to interact with her tongue. Her kiss was beyond intoxicating. Every thought he’d been thinking before this was suddenly out of his mind. He forgot about leaving the ship, trying to get to the surface, reassuring his Pikachu that he was just fine. The only thing that mattered right then and there was Misty.

He heard her give a soft moan, as he felt her body pressing against his, and Ash just wished his clothing didn’t block her. He wanted to feel her against him, but he settled for the passionate kiss she was giving him. He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her back again, feeling her smooth skin. He was amazed at how soft and smooth her skin was to the touch, and couldn’t help but wonder if his hands perhaps felt uncomfortable to the touch by comparison. Each gentle kick of her tail made them float or sink in their little hiding place, and the gentle grazes against his legs and even against his groin were once again sending the signals of excitement to Ash’s mind.

Ash gently broke the kiss and leaned his forehead to Misty, giving a loving sigh, as his lungs pushed water out, before drawing in another breath. Ash couldn’t quite piece together just how he felt right there. He’d been saved by the person he realized he had strong feelings for, that person was a mermaid. And as he thought this, Misty leaned her forehead onto him, and said, “Oh Ash... what you said back there... I still can’t believe you said it...”

“Huh?” Ash asked, looking into her eyes. “What I said back- oh... well, I really meant it Misty. I really do love you. I know it’s been a while since we last saw each other, but...” Ash responded, trailing off. He wanted to keep talking, but he realized that it really had been a long time since they’d seen each other. And while he truly did miss her, and truly thought about her a lot in the past years of traveling without her... especially in the last few... but he was beginning to ask himself if his feelings could be genuine for her if he hadn’t seen her in as long as he had.

His thoughts were interrupted by Misty’s gentle touch. She gazed into his eyes and for a moment, Ash would have wondered that if she were able to cry, if she would have right there. “Ash... you just have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that...” She squeezed his hands tightly as she spoke. “After all these years, seeing the connections you’d made with other people, all the adventures you’ve had, all the days I wished I could have been spending with you...” Ash felt her hands let go of his, as she slowly turned away.... “I... I thought you’d moved on.”

Ash heard her words and just thought about all the days after Misty had been forced to leave his company. Ash had met up with her on multiple occasions, and she’d seen who he had been traveling with, from May, to Dawn, to Serena. Ash suddenly found himself wondering if Misty had returned to the sea because she was beginning to think that he’d forgotten about her. Some of the best times in his life as a trainer were moments where she was right by his side, whether to give him the emotional support when he needed it, or the assistance in battle when he could not do it alone. He couldn’t help of all the times the Team Rocket Trio had almost gotten away with stealing his Pokémon... many times, Misty had assisted him. Even more, Ash couldn’t help but remember how dense he was the day she got her bike back, and how he didn’t seem to realize just how she felt about being forced to leave.

As he remembered all of this, he couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her tightly, and bury his face into her shoulder. His arms around her belly, he just He may have been younger back then, but that didn’t seem to matter to him. He felt as if he’d really hurt her, and he couldn’t bear that thought. “I’m sorry...” Ash heard himself say.

Misty heard that and she turned her head to face him. “Sorry? Sorry for what?”

“I never wanted to make you feel like that...” Ash said. “I really wish that we could have spent so much more time together. It was never the same without you. I almost feel like I should have visited more, or gotten you away from the gym. Anything to get you to know just how much... just how much you meant to me.” Ash said feeling himself squeezing her tighter in a somber hug.

“Ash,” Misty said softly, “I knew how you felt about me the day I had to leave...” She smiled and lay her hands on top of his. “And finally, I can tell you my feelings too... I love you too Ash. In a way, I always have, and... you just don’t know how happy it makes me to finally be with you again...”

Hearing that, Ash planted his lips to hers in an eager kiss. It didn’t even matter to him that the kiss was a bit awkward with her back against him, he just heard those words echo in his mind. “I love you too Ash.” It felt unreal to hear those words. Felt unreal to feel every feeling he was feeling. Think every thought he was thinking. It was a sensation he’d never felt before. And it was a feeling he wanted to share. He wanted to make her feel that exact same way. Make her feel amazing. Incredible. Phenomenal...

He suddenly felt his hands gently rubbing her skin, and he realized that her belly was right near the base of her tail. Her skin was incredibly smooth, but this skin, being so near the tail felt somewhat different. Ash felt his fingers graze the tail, and he heard Misty give a pleasant gasp. Ash had never triggered such a response from anything before, and truth was, he hadn’t even been trying to. But he wanted to provoke it again...

His hands went down a bit lower and he gently felt her tail for the very first time...

It was definitely different. The smooth skin was instead replaced by what felt like a strange leathery feel. He had half expected the scales of her tail to feel rough, or discomforting to the touch, but they weren’t. The touch was unique, and something he hadn’t exactly felt before. He couldn’t describe it properly to himself. Perhaps the closest he could compare the touch to was that of a Milotic, but even that didn’t seem quite right. He felt her tail more, giving it a soft rub, a soft caress, and he immersed himself as Misty began to breathe heavily at his touch...

In the back of his mind though, Ash couldn’t help but hear a small voice of concern. A voice trying to tell him to really think about what he was doing. He was a human. Misty was a mermaid. They were pretty... different. Especially down.... there. They’d both confessed feelings for one another, and these kinds of feelings often led to rather passionate actions. And in their case, they hadn’t seen each other in years... It wouldn’t surprise him if they both decided to let any restraint go... And if things got there, would they even be able to-

Ash’s thoughts were interrupted when the tip of his finger felt a small feature, and Misty took a sharp breath, and let out a surprised moan. Ash realized what he’d just touched, and his cheeks flushed red. He guessed they weren’t so different after all...

He froze with his movements, his fingers barely touching a slit on her tail which seemed strangely each to find now. The voice of reason suddenly sprung to life in the back of his head. He was feeling her most private area. And he’d not exactly been thinking clearly in his actions. He hadn’t been thinking if Misty had even been wanting to be touched in such a way, and now, Ash couldn’t help but be incredibly nervous. And this was likely apparent, because Misty felt him freeze and after a moment, she turned to look at him in concern.

“Are.... are you okay?” She asked.

“I’m sorry.” Ash heard himself say out loud. “I didn’t- I didn’t realize what I was doing. I hope I didn’t just make you uncomfortable.”

Misty blushed at the apology and softly said, “No... far from it.”

Ash was a bit surprised as she said this. Surprised and confused as to how to move forward. With Misty being the first time he’d really expressed such feelings for, he found himself eager to move forward, yet scared that he’d mess it up. He couldn’t help feeling that he should know how to proceed with this kind of thing, but now, he found himself tense and uneasy. He couldn’t even form a complete sentence as he found himself stuttering “Rea- I- I just-“

Misty heard him and couldn’t help but giggle. She gave a few kicks of her flukes, to further back into him, and grabbed his hands gently. She felt Ash’s tension and rubbed his hands gently, saying “Just relax...” She then began to guide his hands... and Ash felt himself stop breathing as he felt her move them in a certain direction. He could feel one hand moving towards that lower area, and one even moving up. And her tail rubbing against his own lower region was once more making him feel sensations which made him want to remove his pants. He could almost feel himself thinking to do just that, when Misty stopped guiding his hands.

Ash was very nervous now. Had he put Misty off maybe? What was wrong?

Misty let go of his hands, and smiled, turning back to Ash. “Perhaps... perhaps this isn’t the best place for this.”

“What do you mean?” Ash heard himself say. He began to guess what Misty could have meant, and he couldn’t help but think of many possible reasonings behind what Misty said. Did Misty think that perhaps he was uncomfortable engaging with her down beneath the sea, in her mermaid form? Did she maybe think this wasn’t the best time? Ash was about ready to explain to her that he didn’t care about her being a mermaid, and that she shouldn’t be embarrassed about it when she simply grabbed his hand, and pulled him from the closet.

She smiled and said, “Follow me. I know a more... private place.”

Ash couldn’t help but feel his member throb beneath his pants as soon as she said that. Private place? Was this really happening? As Misty kicked her tail and exited the ship through the open window out into the depths of the sea, Ash, couldn’t help feeling a surge of giddiness rise through him, as he eagerly stroked through the water and kicked to follow her. A few seconds later, he pulled himself through the open window, to behold the depths of the sea before him.

For a moment, he was taken aback by the view. The water was darker, but he could still thankfully see, due to his enhanced underwater vision. A gaze up, and he couldn’t even see the surface of the water. He had no idea how deep they were, but despite everything, he was very calm. But what was really astonishing him was the Water Pokémon all around him. It was a paradise for any trainer that specialized in Water Pokémon. More kinds than Ash could count, they were swimming all around before him. Big and small. Ash gave an astonished gasp as a few Gyarados swam above him, paying him no heed. The massive, and intimidating Pokémon were enough to make even the most experienced trainers a bit cautious, but Ash couldn’t help but smile as they swam above him effortlessly through the sea.

His mind was brought back to reality when he saw Misty swimming further off without him. Adjusting his hat, and backpack, he once more began to swim after her, doing his best to keep up. As he swam along, he took one last look at the ship he’d just escaped from. Its upper decks were almost completely crushed in some areas as the ship rested upside down, and a few slim trails of air bubbles were trickling the wreck, as it continued its flooding from within. Ash had no idea just how much more flooding it needed to be done, but he turned away and resumed his pursuit of Misty.

Ash quickly began to wish that he did indeed have a tail, because the endless swimming through the water was beginning to tire him out pretty quick. He guessed it was making a little bit of sense, clawing through the water wasn’t exactly the same as walking through air. Even though he no longer had to worry about drowning, swimming through the depths was proving tiresome, and trying to keep up with Misty, who probably didn’t give two thoughts to how she felt when swimming, was proving much more challenging.

It seemed that Misty knew this too, because a few minutes later, she turned back with a smile, and grabbed Ash’s hand, and began to pull him along with her. Ash had to be sure not to lose his hat as she pulled him through the water, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel the sensation of the water rushing past him, almost giving his body a gently massage, as she pulled him through without ease. Misty smiled and looked to him, “You never could swim that well.”

“I guess not.” Ash said with a shy smile. “I can’t imagine what you had to go through though.”

“What do you mean?” Misty asked as they continued their journey through the depths.

“I mean, you’re a mermaid. You probably picked up swimming pretty easy. But I guess you also had to learn how to walk. Was it hard?” Ash asked. “I mean, it’s so much different than being underwater, you know?”

Misty gave a playful shrug and said, “At first, it was difficult. As a child, learning to walk as a human took a lot of time. Down here, you don’t have to worry about gravity so much, so turning into our human form for the first time is always difficult. I don’t think I could really walk comfortably on my own until three or fours years of learning.”

Ash looked at her and said, “How does that work? Turning into a human?”

Misty replied, “When a merperson is young, becoming human is difficult. It isn’t until they are four or five where they’ll have some control over it, and even then, it can be exhausting to shift between forms... You just kinda will it to happen. If you want a comparison to how it feels for us, picture yourself maybe running eight miles.”

Ash grimaced at such a thought. “I guess I don’t need to wonder how you kept it a secret for so long then. I can’t imagine you shifted that much when we were traveling together.”

Misty nodded. “Only a few times. While I had long gotten used to my legs by the time we met, it was nice to sneak away now and then and find a lake to relax in.”

Ash looked to her and asked, “Okay, but now I need to ask this. Why spend so much time on land? I mean, why spend time on land at all?”

Misty giggled, and replied “I guess you would wonder why my family and I have set our home in Cerulean City, a city pretty far from the sea, and whatnot.”

“To put it lightly.” Ash replied.

“It’s a long story,” Misty replied. “I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my family has had history with humans in the past. It’s a bit of a history that goes back a few generations. I don’t know much about it, but it ended up with us becoming the City’s Water Pokémon gym leaders, and it’s been that way longer than I can remember.” Ash heard this and began to fit a few pieces of the puzzle into pace. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he’d never really met Misty’s family outside her sisters.

“Your mother and father...” Ash said. “They don’t live in Cerulean, do they?”

“Correct.” Misty said. “They’re sea dwellers, and whether you like it or not, I’ve told them an awful lot about you.” She said that last part with an obvious tease and Ash couldn’t help but blush.

“Nothing too bad, I hope...” he responded sheepishly.

“Enough to make them want to meet you one day.” Misty responded with a teasing smile, which made Ash smile sheepishly.

The two continued the journey through the depths a little longer, with Misty taking them through a scenic swim. They swam through kelp forests, rock formations, and above reefs which Ash had never experienced before. It was all mesmerizing. He’d never been able to fully enjoy such sights like this in such a manner. He’d been diving before, and swam in the sea, but nothing like this, and each sight he saw felt new. But eventually, Misty led him to a rocky formation somewhat hidden by the kelp around them.

She swam up to a large boulder, and grabbed it, giving multiple kicks with her tail, before pulling the boulder aside, revealing a small cave. She looked to Ash, and beckoned him inside. Ash didn’t need to be told twice, and he willfully swam inside the hidden cave, with Misty following him shortly after she laid the boulder back in its place, almost as if shutting a door, to make sure no one would intrude on them.

The cave was small, but inside, Ash couldn’t help but look around in amazement as many of Misty’s personal belongings were around him. Her old bag, many of her clothes, Pokéballs, trinkets, it was almost like a second bedroom for her. But one of the things that caught Ash’s eye was a particular ball cap. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his old white and red ball cap which sported the green logo of the Pokémon League that he used to wear when he was younger. About a year after Misty departed, Ash gave her the hat as a small token for her to remember him by, which back then meant a lot to him, since that hat was one of his most prized possessions. He was glad that she’d kept it with her... even if it was down here at the bottom of the sea.

That wasn’t it though. There were even a few cards that he’d sent her down here, in what appeared to be waterproof sleeves. Many small gifts that they’d exchanged, as well as photos were in here, and... it just made Ash realize just how much the two had missed each other. “I never knew...” Ash said softly as he beheld the items.

It was then that Misty grabbed his shoulders, and turned him around, and before Ash could think another thought, Misty’s lips found his once more in another passionate kiss. Ash gave a moan of pleasure as their lips met, and all of his thoughts once more focused entirely on her. He wrapped his hands around her and held her close, as he felt himself sink to the soft sand below. There was something about the atmosphere they were in that was really enhancing things. Maybe it was the thought that down here, in the depths, he knew that the chances of someone walking in on them were highly unlikely. The privacy factor was certainly a huge factor. But maybe it was Ash’s mindset at that moment, but Misty was also genuinely beautiful in her mermaid form. And she looked angelic down here.

And Ash almost couldn’t help but see her as an angel that had saved his life, since she’d saved him from an endless sleep in the sea...

Ash gently broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes, with a smile. “You’re.... you’re so beautiful Misty...” he heard himself say. “I... I can’t believe you feel the same way I do...”

Was that a weird thing to say? Ash didn’t know and didn’t care. He was just happy that at his words, Misty smiled and leaned her forehead against his. “I’ll take you back up to the surface tomorrow.” She said softly. “It’s a little late to be taking you up there now. I hope you don’t mind spending the night with me.”

Ash smiled. “It’ll be just like old times.” He said with a tease in his voice. Old times indeed. If they weren’t adults, with strong feelings in their mind. Ash could feel those familiar feelings building up again, and it was getting to the point where his privates were actually starting to hurt a bit. Ash didn’t realize just how much being around Misty had excited him, because his member was practically begging for release from the stimulation, and Ash had to fight every primal urge in his body to stop himself from just throwing himself on top of Misty.

But that didn’t stop him from taking off his backpack, gloves, and jacket, and he felt his hat float from his head as he took them off, and didn't do anything to grab it. He let the waterlogged articles of clothing sink to the sand, before planting another strong kiss on Misty’s lips. But after a few moments, he moved from the lips, and moved to the neck, and began to press Misty so that she was laying in the sand, and he was over her. He firmly grasped onto her shoulders, as he kissed her neck, and firmly sucked on the skin.

Misty was taken a bit by surprise at the motion, but let it happen, and gave a few gasps of pleasure, as Ash continued to gently nip and suck the skin, leaving behind a noticeable and visible red mark. Ash paid no heed to it. He was more focused on the sounds that Misty was making as he kissed her. They were heavenly, and it only made him want to continue.

He instinctively felt his hips rub against where her hips would normally be, as he felt his member throb beneath his jeans, practically begging to come out. The thrust provided little relief in the pain it felt, but the thought that things were getting a bit heated up between him and Misty was thankfully beginning to make that pain go away slightly. And a gently rub from Misty down there also helped enhance that feeling.

The two met eyes as they continued their passionate actions. They didn’t need to say a word to know what each other was thinking. Ash couldn’t help but blush when their eyes met. “I’m sorry... I hope- I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable, or coming across-“

Misty just planted her lips to his, interrupting her stubborn lover in mid-sentence. Truth was, she didn’t care about anything else right there. She could tell Ash had a lot of sexual tension bottled up... and she wanted to relieve him of that. And if it wasn’t clear enough, she grabbed his t-shirt and tugged on it sternly, in an effort to get it off.

Ash was surprised by the motion, but at her pull, he let go of her body, and lifted his arms, so that she could easily take off his black t-shirt. She let it float aside, as she removed herself from under him, and instead, pinned Ash to the sand, so that he was under her. She gazed into his eyes with a playful smile. “Do you know how long I’ve thought about this moment?” She asked him.

Ash couldn’t give an answer. All he heard himself say was “I guess I just never thought this first moment would be under the sea... and I thought you would have legs...”

Misty simply laughed at his silly response. “You’ll learn to love it.” And as she said that, Ash could feel her unbuttoning his jeans. The working of her fingers only made his member throb and twitch even more. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure he didn’t already love it...

Ash struggled and kicked off his sneakers and socks, as Misty unbuttoned his belt, and jeans and unzipped them. Underwater, the denim was much harder to remove, but Ash sat up, and helped Misty slide his jeans off, leaving him only in his gray boxers. Misty eyed them, and the very obvious budge underneath the boxers, which honestly did little to conceal his excitement. Heck, Ash’s arousal was so obvious, that the top of his underwear just barely hid the tip.

However, before Misty could reach for his boxers, Ash wrapped his arms around Misty’s back, and found the strap of Misty’s bra, which was her only article of clothing on her. Ash smiled and gave her a look that before she’d get the chance to see him completely naked, he wanted her to be in such a state. And Misty returned the smile, as she realized what he was doing.

Misty lifted her arms as Ash slid his hand in between her bra, and effortlessly lifted it off of her, revealing her perky breasts. They were perfect. Not too big, not too small. Ash felt her bra sink from his grasp, and after a moment, he planted his hands on them, which made sent a shiver of pleasure down Misty’s spine. Ash once more just tried to relax and breathe, and just act naturally. He had no idea how this felt for her. Did it feel good? Rough? Natural?

He saw her rather heavy breathing, and felt his hands gently begin to massage both breasts firmly. Ash was careful not to give a pinch that would be uncomfortable, but strangely, as he massaged them, coaxing a few moans and gasps from Misty, he couldn’t help but feel as if he’d always known that this would be pleasant for her. His moves were alien to him, yet at the same time, they were instinctive and natural. And it wasn’t long, before he felt courageous enough, to plant his mouth on one, and give it a harsh suckle.

Misty’s eyes widened at the sensation, and she gave a sharp gasp. She had no words for the amount of pleasure she was feeling. It was simply... fantastic. She was not one above feeling her own breasts and pleasuring herself, but when someone else was doing it, it felt so much more stimulating, and it made her tail rub even more against Ash’s groin. She breathed heavily as she felt Ash’s tongue slide against the very tip of her breast, giving her tickling sensations and she heard herself say instinctively in building pleasure, “Don’t stop!”

At those words, Ash felt his grip on her breasts get stronger as he massaged them, and he suddenly felt even more confidence. Confidence that made his free hand reach for her tail again. He felt his fingers slide against her smooth skin, before they felt that familiar slit, that seemed to be much easier to find in her aroused state, and without thinking... he pressed his fingers into her.

Misty gasped and gave louder moan, as she squirmed beneath Ash. Ash looked up at her, and heard himself say “Are you okay?”

Misty caught her breath and nodded, “It just... It just feels so good...” Misty wished she had something better to say, but in the rush of pleasure, it was all she could think to say. Thankfully, it was all that Ash seemingly needed to hear, because a second later, she felt his fingers press further, and she began to feel them massaging her innermost walls. Her squirming intensified as he resumed kissing her breasts, and working his fingers further and further into her most private area. Misty couldn’t help but notice again, just how stimulating it was when it wasn’t her working at her own area...

Ash kept working, until he felt his urges become too much. After a few more minutes of working at her insides, Ash, sat up, and eagerly removed his boxers... he couldn’t wait anymore... he wanted her. He needed her.

He kicked off the only piece of clothing he had left, and pushed himself against Misty in an underwater leap of lust. Misty wrapped her arms around him, and felt her own excitement build. They were really doing this! Countless nights alone, with only the thoughts of him in her mind had all led up to this. He was here with her, and they both had only one thing in mind.

Misty felt her tail kick in a bit of frustration as she tried to find his erect member with her hips, while Ash tried to get a firm hold on her. Now fully exposed, he felt his member sliding across Misty’s skin, and he reached, and tried to guide his member to her folds. It was. Harder than he at first thought. He didn’t realize that his member’s erect shape could make it somewhat difficult to... find entry.

But a moment later, Ash felt his tip find a most peculiar sensation, which made him gasp sharply. The sensation was incredible. Never before had he ever felt such a strange sensation on his member. It was enough to make it twitch, but Ash was quick to find the entrance again. He hadn’t even begun to push in yet, and already he was feeling sensations he never would have imagined. So what was he waiting for?

He eagerly began to push in, much to Misty’s surprise. Her pleasure however turned to pain when she realized just how eager Ash was. She gritted her teeth, and gave a small yelp. Ash looked to her and managed to say in the midst of his desperation, “Ar- Are you alright?”

“S-slow...!” She whispered out.

The command was torture for Ash. He didn’t want to be slow. He wanted to push himself inside her all the way. He wanted her snug walls fully engulfing his shaft, and he could almost hear his member begging for him to just push inside her, and to feel everything. He continued to push, trying to keep it slow for Misty’s comfort, but at the same time, doing everything he could to get inside her as soon as he could. The cleft that engulfed the head of his member was slowly engulfing the rest, as he continued to push. The sensation was incredible. Her insides gave a perfect warm sensation, mixed with the refreshing coolness of the seawater around them, resulting in a sensation that Ash doubted could be matched on land.

Ash took a deep breath, and continued to press into Misty, savoring every sound she made. Her heavy gasping, her soft moans, her soft cries, it was music to Ash’s ears. And the feelings he was getting around his member, it was making him grit his teeth. Each grunt he gave as he pressed further into her only induced that much more pleasure, and it was almost too much to take! But finally after what seemed like forever, Ash felt his member fully engulfed within the confines of Misty’s nether region, and for a moment, he froze.

His mind was like fireworks. He just couldn’t believe this was happening. This entire scenario. Alone, at the bottom of the sea, alive, with Misty as his only company, and unlike anything he’d been led to believe in the years he’d known her, she was not exactly who he thought she was. And now, he was losing his virginity to her. He couldn’t help but wonder what anyone would think if they ever found out about this. Losing his virginity to a mermaid? Who would have thought?

Misty kept breathing heavily, before she realized that Ash was hesitating. She kept breathing as she tried to fight off the pain that her nethers were now feeling, but at the same time, she laid a hand against his cheek. “Ash? Are- are you okay?”

Ash nodded a bit quick to answer. “Y-yeah, just-“ He cut himself off and caressed Misty’s cheek in return.

Misty looked at him a bit concerned. “Just what?”

“Nothing.” Ash said. “Nothing important...”

Before Misty could interrupt, Ash planted his lips to hers, and forced his hips to withdraw from Misty, before slowly going back in again. The feelings shot through him like a jolt of electricity, and he shuddered a moan of pleasure in the middle of the kiss. He couldn’t believe how incredible this was feeling. How his head rubbed against her insides, how her walls massaged his length, it was enough to make him want to tremble. In fact, as soon as he pulled out and thrust in again, he felt his bare feet beginning to shake and lose grip on the sand. And each thrust made him groan in a way that would make one think he was pushing a two ton box along the floor.

The feelings gave way to him wanting even more. He pinned Misty to the sand, and grabbed her shoulders tightly. He hadn’t meant to grasp her so tightly, but he couldn’t help himself. Misty felt his firm grasp, and gave a moan that spoke of both pain and pleasure, and gazed at him. “It- it hurts!”

Ash heard her plea, and after another thrust in, forced himself to loosen his grasp, and instead lowered himself closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her back. “Sorry...” he whispered, as he continued to thrust, giving off grunts and felt his lungs working overtime as he took long drawn out breaths. Being underwater, it was a bit harder to breath constantly, as his lungs pushed and pulled the water into his lungs.

He continued to thrust ferociously into her tail, savoring every twitch, every throb, every squirm he felt her make. His muscles tightened, and he grit his teeth as he tried to work even faster! And with each thrust, he could hear Misty’s moans and cries getting more and more intense. And he loved it. He thrust into her again, and with a grunt, managed to say “M-Misty! You- you’re amazing!”

In response, he heard her moan out his name, as she arched her back, and begged “Don’t stop! Don’t stop!”

Ash was not going to disappoint her. He couldn’t. But his energy was quickly draining, and a new sensation was beginning to shoot through his lower body. That familiar sensation when one was hit with the ultimate pleasure. Ash shut out any and all mental thoughts that would protest any action he was doing. Nothing mattered! Any sense of morality in this situation was gone. The only thing that prevailed was a primal instinct that Ash had never had before. For the first time in his life, Ash truly felt like an untamed beast, that would not think of anything else, other than the intense pleasure he was bathing in at that very moment.

Ash forced himself to thrust into her faster, to go deeper, to make her writhe below him, and make her sing with her moans! And with each thrust, the feelings of an oncoming release were getting more and more apparent. Ash thrust into her again, and again, trying to fight it. He didn’t want this pleasure to stop! He never wanted it to end! He shut his eyes and tried to tell himself to hold it, to fight letting go. He grunted as his thrusts began to slow. His mind was willing, but his body was weak. The sensation was building and building, and his body was shaking with each thrust. He coudn’t take much more!

“Misty!” He grunted! “I’m- I- I’m gonna-!”

Ash never got the chance to finish the sentence. One thrust later, his member erupted in a release that sent a shout from Ash’s mouth, in a way he never would have expected. And as his member began to pump his warm seed into her, he felt Misty’s cleft beginning to twitch, and tighten around his length, massaging him, and squeezing it for every last drop it could give. Ash could feel Misty shaking beneath him, and her breaths became a bit sporadic, as she finally let out a loud “Ahhhhh!”

And a few moments later, Ash felt his energy leave his body, and he collapsed on top of her...


	4. The Waves of Pleasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to go ahead and apologize for the delay in getting this written. I actually scrapped a lot of this multiple times as I tried to get the proper emotions and moods just right in this chapter. It’s the first time I’ve written this kind of piece before in many years, and I hope it flows well.
> 
> Add on the fact that last night, my fish tank sprung a leak, and added an unnecessary amount of stress on me, it felt nice to get lost in a little erotic writing...
> 
> It should also be said that I think there will only be one last chapter, so I hope this "short" story has been fun!

Ash breathed deeply, his lungs feeling like bellows as they pulled water in and out with each exhausting breath. He felt a final twitch from his shaft as he was slowly brought back into reality, and after a moment, he felt himself roll off of Misty, withdrawing from her tail, bits of his milky white seed floating a bit in the water. He shut his eyes as he tried to catch his breath, which was definitely harder to do underwater. With each watery pant, he could hear his heart beating in the rush of what had just transpired, and the thoughts began to race toward him like a runaway train.

And when the reality of what had just happened hit him, he couldn’t help but smile at it all. Sure there was a mix of emotions running through his head, from wondering if what they’d just done was at all smart, to wondering if having sex with a mermaid was at all taboo, to just thinking about how he wasn’t a virgin anymore... his mind was lighting up, but after another deep pant, he sat himself up and leaned over Misty. Seeing her face, made him smile. He couldn’t help but notice that she was looking a bit tired after what they’d just done, and he couldn’t help but hope that it was because it had felt so amazing.

He gently placed a hand at her cheek, which caused her to open her eyes a bit in surprise, before they softened at his gaze. She wrapped her arms around him and brought him in close for another deep kiss that Ash didn’t even try to fight. His questions about everything could wait. For as unsure as some of his thoughts were, he strangely didn’t care about a lot of it. Was it taboo to have sex with a mermaid? If it was, he didn’t care. Was it smart to have unprotected sex with her? He didn’t care. He was just happy that he was with her, and that they were together in such a way.

Ash finally broke the kiss and the silence, leaning his forehead on hers, and said “Misty that felt so...”

Ash was almost about to say that it felt good, but that didn’t seem like a proper word to use. Sure it felt good, but that word seemed to do injustice to just how incredible the sensations had felt. And it did feel incredible. It felt amazing. Intoxicating. Absolutely phenomenal. But none of these words seemed to fit just what he wanted to say.

Misty noticed him trail off and said, “I... I hope it wasn’t too strange for you?” 

“Huh? Strange?” Ash asked. “Oh, do you mean... you having a fishtail rather than legs and all?”

“To put it bluntly...” Misty said, maybe taken a bit aback by the “fishtail” comment.

Ash couldn’t deny his own thoughts that she likely was sharing to some extent. But he gave a chuckle, and said “I guess you can say that it’s definitely not how I would have pictured losing my virginity in any way. At the bottom of the sea, no dive equipment, embracing a mermaid... but honestly... I’m just glad it was with you.” Ash said, at the risk of sounding a bit cheesy. “I just hope I didn’t... uh, disappoint any.”

Misty giggled, but smiled at his comments and replied, “I never would have thought that it would be like this either. When I returned to the sea, I had accepted that I likely would not see you again, or at the very least, that if we ever saw each other again, you would be with someone else. Had I known how you felt, well...”

Ash gently rubbed her shoulder and said “Misty... what matters is I’m here now... and I’m so happy to be with you.” And before he would let her respond, he planted his lips to hers once more in a deep passionate kiss, which drew a soft moan from her. Music to his ears. Her moans were so innocent sounding, that he wanted to coax as many as he could from her...

He gently broke the kiss, and with a few gentle kicks, managed to get off of her body, and sink beside her. For the first time, he began to really take in her figure. He gazed upon the light blueish-green tail which lay in the sand... and for the first time, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. Here Misty lay, a beautiful mermaid, who looked at home in the water, and Ash was about as fitting as a shaved Mankey underwater. It was actually kind of amusing to think about.

Ash smiled, unable to resist, and placed his hands on her tail. The touch was different than how he originally thought it felt. It wasn’t as soft and unique as it was near her torso. Lower down, it was a bit rougher, and more scaly. Yet as alien as the touch was, Ash didn’t feel uncomfortable. He gently rubbed the skin, and said “It... it really suits you.”

Misty sat up at his touch, and smiled at his words. “I guess I will take that as a compliment. I never would have thought you would have been so open to it.”

“Maybe not when I was younger...” Ash replied with a small smile, remembering how he and Misty had often exchanged harsh words when they were younger. “But it’s amazing how one things change with time...”

“Are you sure you’ve changed that much, Ash Ketchum?” Misty asked in a tease. “Maybe you won’t go out of your way to upset me, but by the looks of things, you’re still getting yourself into trouble, and approaching things rather recklessly.”

Ash simply laughed, and got close to her face. “I guess some things never change...” And he planted another kiss to her. He couldn’t help realizing just how much he was kissing her, but he couldn’t help himself. He loved her taste, which didn’t at all seem to be affected by the saltwater environment they were in.

Another moment passed as they kissed deeply, and Ash felt his impulses growing again. And despite his better judgement, he felt one of his hands once more reach for her nethers. He didn’t even seem to care that they’d just engaged sexually with each other. He simply didn’t see any reason why they couldn’t enjoy a little more...

His fingers felt her slit, and he instinctively pressed them into her folds. The action made Misty gasp in surprise as she let out a surprised moan of pleasure, and Ash felt her tail squirm between his legs, and it only encouraged him to press further in. She gazed at Ash as if taken a bit by surprise at his actions, and Ash only responded with a determined smile. A smile he hoped said that he wanted to make her feel amazing...

He wriggled his fingers as he pressed a bit deeper into her warm soft folds, and lost himself as he began to coax Misty into breathing deeper, and singing out her cries of pleasure. Ash pressed deeper and deeper, managing to fit three fingers into her at once, and rub as much of her walls as best as he could. Even when he was straining with his reach, he continued to try and reach further still, truly pushing his fingers limit. The results were most welcoming as he continued to make Misty squirm beneath him, and barely manage to say his name in moans of ecstasy.

A moment later, Ash felt Misty grab him by the shoulders, and push him off of her, and pin him to the sand, kicking up a small cloud as his back hit the ground. For a moment, Ash was wondering if he’d done something wrong, or done something perhaps to accidentally hurt her, but as he gazed at her, he could almost see a fire of passion deep in her eyes. Ash felt himself stop breathing which caused him some slight discomfort in his chest, but his gaze at Misty made him push it out of his mind. Her beautiful form gazed down upon him, her breasts , free of their cover, hanging from her chest, and gently swaying in the currents of the water around them. Ash felt himself sigh as he gazed upon her, before reaching up, and grabbing onto her wonderful breasts, and giving them a loving squeeze, before gently starting to massage them.

Misty showed her appreciation for the act in a small “Mmmmm...” and closed her eyes as Ash gently, yet firmly rubbed them, before sitting up and kissing the skin around them. He repeated this, taking in Misty’s soft moans, and involuntary twitches when he accidentally ticked her. His fingertips were actually numb from working her inner folds as hard as he did, and they were a bit sore, but he simply continued to massage her, and smiled. “God... you’re beautiful...”

Misty smiled and leaned close, careful not to interrupt the massage he was giving her chest. “You have said that a lot now.”

Ash blushed a bit and said, “I can’t help it. It’s the truth.”

Misty moaned one last time, and finally brought her hands up to meet Ash’s, and wrapped her fingers around his. “You know,” she said, “I can still remember a time when you didn’t think like that.”

Ash simply smiled, rubbing Misty’s fingers with his thumbs, and said, “I guess I was just young, and unable to appreciate the wonderful company I had.”

Misty smiled at that, and planted a small kiss to his lips, before breaking it and gazing into his eyes. “You know, you really know how to make me feel really good... if I didn’t know any better, I would think you’ve done this before...”

Ash chuckled in slight embarrassment. “Not with anyone else I know... I guess my instincts are paying off here...”

Misty giggled and said getting a bit closer to him, “You’ve made me feel so good. The least I can do is try and do same thing...”

Ash chuckled and said “What do you m- oh!” Ash felt himself gasp when he felt his length suddenly grasped by her cool hands. Granted it was not as aroused as earlier, and Misty seemed to see that because a moment later, he could feel her beginning to massage it. Ash involuntarily took a sharp breath in as he felt her stroke it, and trace it, and squeeze it, and it made him involuntarily take a sharp breath in, which made him thankful he was still able to breathe in the watery environment.

Misty’s hand worked and stroked his member, beginning to bring about arousal again, and Ash couldn’t help but be surprised at how it all felt. He was not above self-pleasure when spending nights alone, but pleasing himself was one thing. He had grown used to how he touched himself. Being touched by Misty elevated those feelings tenfold, because her touch was so alien to him, and it wasn’t long at all before he felt himself beginning to breathe as heavily as she was when he was fingering her.

A moan escaped his own lips when the stroking he felt, suddenly changed to a kiss, and a lick. He had been so lost in the pleasure of everything that was happening, that he’d completely lost sight of Misty, and did not notice that her face had drawn closer to his erection. She cast a glance and a small smile in his direction when their eyes locked in that particular moment. Ash wasn’t sure how to read that smile. And despite knowing the answer to what she was about to do, he couldn’t help but mentally ask himself if she was really about to do it. Was she really comfortable doing what he thought she was about to do?

As if to answer her own question, Misty leaned in closer, and after another kiss on the head of his shaft, took his arousal into her mouth, and Ash let out a loud sigh as a new feeing of passion swarmed through his body. Her mouth was hot as it enveloped his shaft one bit at a time, from the crown, down to the base. Even with the cool seawater, the sensation was warm, and She coated his member with her mouth, and took it in as far as she could, and even a bit farther, trying her best not to gag at the size of it.

Ash couldn’t help himself. He began involuntarily thrusting a bit into her mouth, trying to get more of this strange unique feeling. He could feel her tongue sliding all along the length of his shaft, and could feel the crown of his member occasionally hitting the back of her throat. Misty gagged a bit and took the erection out of her mouth, making Ash worry a bit. “Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself!”

Misty just smiled before eagerly taking it into her mouth again, making Ash once more gasp a bit at the sensation. He lay back in the sand, and stared up at the ceiling of the grotto, just trying to take it all in at once. As Misty continued to bob her head as she eagerly sucked on his arousal, Ash just tried not to move, which was an impossible task. The various sensations he felt were reigniting the fires of passion deep inside him. He could feel her tongue flicking the head of his erection. He could feel her teeth gently grazing the sides of his length. He could feel so many waves of pleasure, sensitive tickles, and involuntary twitches, and it was impossible not to get lost in...

It was around this time that a strange idea crept into Ash’s mind. Ash didn’t want to be the only one feeling this kind of pleasure... In the midst of her mouth working at his excitement, Ash felt himself reach for her. He couldn’t reach her tail quite. After releasing another moan, he tried to inch his way closer, which got Misty’s attention. She looked up from her blowjob she was giving him, and noticed him trying to get closer to her tail.

She was about to ask what he was doing, when it dawned on her what he was trying to do. She was surprised. Was he really comfortable doing that? After all... she was so different. She guessed there was only one way to really find out. As Ash tried to reach for her tail, she allowed it to come within his reach. Ash immediately hooked his arm around it, and dragged it closer to him. Misty had to maneuver herself to remain floating over him, but eventually, she was laying on his belly, as opposed to the sand, and was staring at his excitement.

A moment later, her eyes widened when she felt a warm slick lick right at her nethers, and it made her lose track of the moment. He was licking it! Without hesitation! He was licking her most sensitive region! She let out a passionate sigh, before she once more took notice of the twitching excited member right in front of her. She grasped it, and took it into her mouth once more, trying not to accidentally bite him out of the pleasure he was now returning to her. And she also took cupped the sack underneath his member in her hands, and began to gently massage it, feeling the two lumps beneath the skin, coaxing a few squirms and moans from her human lover.

Ash couldn’t believe he was doing this. But at the same time, he didn’t want to stop after he realized how Misty responded to it. Sure, her tail resting on his forehead wasn’t exactly the most comfortable, as her scales chafed his forehead and were rough to the touch, but as far as he was concerned, no pain, no game. Ash ignored the uncomfortable rubbing, and slid his tongue along Misty’s slit, before working up the courage to push it as far in as he could. It was a strange taste to say the least, but not at all one that would be unpleasant. Mixed with the seawater, it was something he couldn’t fully describe, much like many of the other sensations he’d experienced in this wonderful night. He withdrew his tongue, before shoving it inside her again, doing his best to lick her insides, all while he felt her wonderful mouth engulfing his arousal just as hungrily.

Ash lost track of time as they continued to work at each other’s sensitive areas, feeling his member twitch in her mouth, and her nethers massaging his tongue. But before too long, he felt Misty take his arousal from her mouth, and with a smooth motion, spun on him so that her tail was no longer at his head, but back at his legs. Their eyes met, and Ash didn’t need to ask to know what she was thinking. Her green eyes were alight with passion, and it was a passion he wanted to give back to her as much as he could.

Misty shoved her lips to his, and forced her tongue into his mouth, coaxing a loud moan from him as she kissed him in a lust that he’d not yet experienced with her. He felt her tongue mingle with his, and he embraced her tightly, as he indulged in her amazing kiss. He felt his teeth graze against her lips and felt his tongue touch the insides of her mouth, and the emotions he felt raced by his mind so fast, that he couldn’t even read his own thoughts. The sensations were just too much. It was intoxicating. More so when he felt his arousal rubbing against her smooth skin as it sandwiched between their bodies. It twitched with each rub, begging for attention, and Ash was about ready to lose control of his urges.

Misty broke the kiss and gazed deep into Ash’s eyes with the most needing look. Ash was breathing as heavily as she was, when he heard her whisper “Take me...”

Ash didn’t need to be told twice.

He rolled over through the water, so that he was over her, gazing into her eyes. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her in the sand under her. Her fiery red hair gently swaying in the currents, her chest rising and falling with each passionate breath, her eyes wide open, as if bracing for what was to come. She looked so helpless, so innocent... almost as if she were the a prey cornered by a predator, which was ironic, as his life was actually pretty much in her hands down here. But that didn’t matter. For all intents and purposes right there... he was in control.

He dropped his pelvis down, and felt his member graze her skin, immediately twitching to the touch. One thing he’d need to get the hang of was getting himself into her. He didn’t realize it was trickier than what one would be led to believe. But no matter how tricky, he wasn’t going to let it stop him from indulging with her. He felt himself rub against her again, and another time, before his crown felt the tight warm snug of her cleft.

Misty gave another deep gasp at it, and Ash felt her tail kick a few times, kicking up clouds of sand, as if it were impatient to receive the pleasure that was between them. Ash grunted as he pressed his erection deeper into her, not willing to be slow. He couldn’t hold himself back. As he pressed against her, he forced a small cry of pain and pleasure from Misty as he dug deep into her, but after a moment, Misty just squirm beneath him, and Ash began the ritualistic thrusting that he was already familiar with.

He dug his feet into the sand, and gave his first thrust into her as eagerly as he had before. He pressed as deeply and as firmly as he could into her tail, giving a grunt as he felt the familiar feelings of her folds wrapping around his excitement. Misty squirmed beneath him in the sand as he pressed into her, and Ash couldn’t help but wonder if she was fighting off her moans, because she seemed to be gritting her teeth as Ash pressed into her. Ash smiled, guessing he’d just have to fight to get those moans out of her.

He withdrew from her folds, and shoved himself into her once again, forcing her to gasp and let out a soft moan, and Ash did not waste time establishing a rhythmic pattern. He withdrew and thrust, withdrew and thrust, repeatedly, and felt his teeth grit as he felt every tingling rubbing sensation from within her nethers. He felt his feet clench, sand seeping in between the closed gaps of his toes as he continued to ram himself into her without any sense of restraint. He never realized just how much control he could lose in this kind of activity. He knew that sex felt good, but frankly... as silly as it sounded, he didn’t realize it could feel _this_ good!

He heard Misty scream in pleasure, and Ash just embraced her tightly, and buried his face in her shoulder as he continued to work at her inner walls. He was thankful that those familiar feelings leading up to an orgasm were not felt yet... apparently their first session hadn’t left him much time to recharge. Not that it mattered to him. The longer he could last, the better.

Ash felt Misty’s tail give a kick. A more powerful kick than simply her trying to engage with him. It felt more like she was trying to swim. Ash felt himself thrust into her again, before she looked at her, maybe a bit questioningly, but Misty just smiled back as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, and kicked again, and again, causing Ash’s member to work itself a little deeper into her. Misty gasped in the pleasure, but did not stop kicking, until she managed to kick off the seabed, and float with Ash in the grotto. Ash was still grasping Misty tightly, as if frightened he would fell out of her grasp and sink to the seabed, but he just focused on Misty, and focused on the pleasure he desperately wanted to feel. Desperately wanted _her_ to feel.

No longer feeling the ground beneath him, feeling grains of sand slipping from the gaps of his still clenched toes, he found himself almost fighting to stay afloat with Misty, who didn’t seem to have any trouble. He just held her tightly, as he felt his legs give a few clumsy kicks in the water, before wrapping them around her tail. He had no idea if Misty minded his legs around her in such a manner, but Ash couldn’t help but indulge the feelings he got from the added anchorage, though his legs would slip with the slightest movements, making him tighten his grip on her.

He felt his pelvis thrust into her opening eagerly again, and felt himself give a grunt as he felt a wave of ecstasy roll over him. Each thrust coaxed a loud moan from Misty, as he forced himself into her. As if to try and amplify it, Ash felt her grab his rear with both hands and pull him into her with each thrust he gave her. Her moans were starting to become cries, and those cries were only getting louder. And they were driving Ash wild.

He moved his own hands down towards Misty’s rump, and pulled her into each of his thrusts as best as he could. There were times where his legs slipped from their grip on her tail, resulting in a few more clumsy kicks as Ash did his best not to lose his place with her, whether it was attempting to wrap around her tail again, or give a clumsy dolphin kick to try and stay afloat, while also pushing into her.

Misty was beginning to breathe harder and faster, much to Ash’s pleasure. Ash gritted his teeth as he continuously pressed into her, trying to go farther and farther inside her. With each grunt, he gave, and each moan he heard, the feelings from their continued lovemaking were beginning to build again. And Ash surprised himself when he heard himself say without hesitation, “Grrrr, come on! Come on!” Ash couldn’t help but take note of just how different he sounded in the middle of sex. It was a strange to experience a side of him that he never knew even existed before now.

Misty squirmed in the water as Ash continued his relentless attack, down below, and she bathed in the feelings he was giving her. The fact that this session was going a bit longer seemed to amplify the pleasure that was being poured onto her. Her cries were getting louder each time she felt his shaft force itself into her, impaling her in the best possible way. Every time she felt it, she wanted it forced upon her even harder, and as if Ash could read her mind, he would oblige! “Ash!” She heard herself scream out, trying so hard to hang on. It was getting harder and harder to hold off this incoming wave of pleasure that was building and building...

Ash heard her scream his name, and tried to keep up! His legs slid off her tail and began to helplessly kick in the water, as his grunts grew more frantic, and more desperate even. Down below, he could feel that familiar tingling sensation, quickly rising to his brain of an oncoming wave heading his way. It was impossible to brace himself for. And it was even harder to fight off. He tried to will himself to hang on longer. Hang on for as long as he could. But each and every movement into her only added more and more stimulation, and it was positively electrifying!

His member thrust into her once more, and he heard himself call Misty’s name in a raspy grunt as if trying to warn h er of the incoming storm, and one final thrust in, made his passion spill over...

With a strong twitch, he felt his member begin its passionate pumping. He screamed out as loud as Misty did as he felt himself lose it all. He felt himself pumping into her at an accelerated rate, yet it felt like minutes had passed with each pump. As he forced his seed into her, he felt her inner walls contract, and give a familiar squeeze on his member, as it began to greedily milk him for every last drop he could muster. The sensations he felt were beyond any and all words. He hadn’t expected the session to be any better than their first session, and yet it had outdone that first session ten times over!

Ash finally breathed in as the warm afterglow of his orgasm began to kick in. He tried to give Misty a few more thrusts, but found his energy about as spent as his member, which was just barely twitching now, doing everything it could to empty itself into Misty’s awaiting clutches...

Misty continued to breathe deeply as she felt his seed pumped into her, and looked to Ash. She wanted to smile but found she didn’t even have the energy to do that. She couldn’t help but feel amused when Ash didn’t seem able to give a smile either, as he continued to breathe deeply, trying his best to regain all the energy he’d just lost.

Another breath in, and Ash felt himself slip from Misty’s grip, his exhausted shaft retracting from her nethers, leaving behind another mess of white seed, and began to sink to the seabed once more. Misty willed herself to catch him, and embrace him gently, as they both sank to the sand together, breathing deeply, and holding onto each other in a loving embrace.

Ash finally looked to her and said weakly, “Misty... oh God...”

“That was.... incredible...” Misty replied, unable to say anything else.

“I can’t be without you...” Ash said, drawing himself a bit closer.

Misty finally smiled, and wrapped her arms around him, before she finally began to feel a little bit of a sting on her back. She moved to rub her back, and Ash sat up to see what was the matter, before bushing rather intensely. Apparently, he had been so blinded in his passion that while they had been involved in their lovemaking, his fingernails had dug into her skin.

That probably wouldn’t be a subject matter to explain to anyone. Ash couldn’t help but picture her mother and father questioning how she’d gotten such strange markings. Ash looked into her eyes, and said, “Heh, sorry. Guess I kinda got carried away.”

Misty just smiled and said, “I hope you get carried away even more next time.”

Ash returned the smile and put himself on top of her again, gently kissing her and holding onto her. As he embraced her, he just couldn’t help but remember all those night he’d lay awake thinking of her, all the days he missed her presence, all the times he would wonder if he truly ever would see Misty again. Even if it wasn’t exactly how he pictured meeting up with her again, he couldn’t properly define just how happy he was to be with Misty again. Not only had she saved him, but she even returned his feelings. As silly as it was to think, Ash never would have thought their feelings for each other ever would have carried on as long as they did.

“I love you so much, Misty.” Ash said, nuzzling his forehead against hers in a loving manner.

“I love you, Ash.” Misty replied, seeming to tighten her embrace on him as he said that.

“Thank you so much... for everything.” Ash said, loving every moment of their passionate embrace.

Misty just smiled at that last statement, and began to gently rub his hair. She could have thanked him in return, but she was sure he knew just how she felt by now. She was beyond thankful that things had turned out as they had. She never would have thought that he had carried feelings for her for as long as he had, and certainly would not have thought those feelings would be the same had he ever discovered the truth of what she really was. And yet through it all, Ash had managed to surprise her in so many ways, and if there was any lingering doubt to how things could turn out, it all seemed to be erased in their moments of pleasure.

The only thing left were a few questions she was asking herself, such as whether they were okay after two sessions of unprotected sex. Misty couldn’t hep. But giggle, and take a little solace in the fact that while it was possible for him to have impregnated her, as a mermaid, it was a bit harder for him. She couldn’t help but giggle at the thought, and wonder if Ash was worrying himself sick over similar thoughts, but if he was, she just rubbed his naked body gently, and held him to her in a comfortable spooning position.

Nothing mattered right now. Just this one moment. The moment that was shared with no one else but him. She felt Ash’s body breathing deeply as it entered a deep sleep, and Misty gently kissed his cheek and shut her eyes as well. She would take him up to the surface tomorrow, and hopefully, things would be okay. She probably would return to the sea, but she would make sure they would never spend such extended periods away from each other again, whether that meant she would one day return to the land, or the fact that he would periodically visit her in the sea, if he was comfortable doing so.

Misty just smiled at the thought, and felt the thought drift away with the currents as her mind numbed, and succumbed to sleep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I’m weird... and full of cheese and fluff.


	5. Surfacing

It was beyond peaceful. It was the most tranquil experience of his entire life. There was little noise, little disturbance, and anything that did disturb the peace seemed to be drowned out by the endless depths of the sea. Ash never realized just how peaceful a sleep in the sea could be. Of course, being a denizen of land, Ash never realized a sleep underwater was even possible at all, but by the time he’d fallen asleep, and by the time he could feel his consciousness starting to stir to life again, Ash had not felt so well rested in quite some time.

His eyes slowly opened, and for a moment, he was surprised to find himself in a grotto underwater, but it didn’t take him long to remember just why he was here. He sat up and looked over to Misty, who was still sleeping by his side, a soft smile on her face it would seem. Ash really wished he had a camera, just because she looked so beautiful in that position. Ash could have easily snuck a kiss on her cheek, or even rolled on top of her, but he didn’t want to disturb her in such a beautiful position. A small smile crept along his face when he realized that he probably could have gotten away with another wonderful session of sex with her, but he was actually a little sore from the rough night he had with her, and if he was sore, he couldn’t help but wonder how sore she might have been. Instead, he just sat in the sand and gazed upon her, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath she took, watching her aquatic tail gently swaying in the currents of the water, watching her fiery hair swaying around her head, and covering her face, to which Ash gently moved it aside so that it wouldn’t cover it.

A few minutes had passed before Ash realized that he was still very much naked. While he felt very comfortable being in such a state with Misty, he figured that it would probably be a good idea to get dressed. There was no telling what the currents would do to a bunch of loose clothing. A look around the small grotto, and he spotted his boxers in the sand, and he swam over to get them. He couldn’t help but shake his head when he realized that the sand had slightly buried them, making him shake the boxers as best as he could free of the loose grains, but even by the time he began to slide them on, he was feeling a bit of loose sand against his skin. He could only hope that the water would eventually loosen the grains while he swam.

He slid the boxers onto, before locating his jeans, which were crumpled on the seabed. He swam over to them, and began to slide them on when Misty awoke from her sleep with a small moan, and sat up, as Ash began to struggle to put his jeans back on. He’d gotten them around his ankles and was just starting to slide them up his legs when he saw her, and gave her a smile. “Good morning.”

Misty smiled and replied back, “Good morning, Ash.” She then giggled a bit as he struggled to pull his jeans up and said, “Getting dressed already?”

“I figured it would be a good idea to get things ready.” Ash said, managing to slide his jeans over his waist finally and button them up.

Misty nodded and said, “Once you’re dressed, I’ll help you get to land. There’s an island not too far from here with a small town where you should hopefully be able to go where you need to go.”

“Perhaps I can turn in those lost Pokéballs we recovered as well.” Ash said, glancing over to his backpack. “I’m sure their owners will be happy to know that they weren’t lost forever.” He glanced back to Misty and asked, “Do you think Staryu found anymore?”

Misty gave a small shrug as she reached for her bra, and covered herself with it, much to Ash’s silent displeasure. “If he did, I’ll take care of them. I don’t live here, so he might have a few for me back home.”

“Pity I can’t see where you live.” Ash said, grabbing his t-shirt, and sliding it over his chest.

Misty giggled and said, “Maybe one day you will. But I think most merfolk there would find it pretty strange to find a human so far from the surface with little warning.”

“I can imagine.” Ash said with a chuckle.

“Let’s just worry about getting you back to dry land.” Misty said. “I’m sure Pikachu is worried sick by now.”

“Oh man, Pikachu...” Ash said, remembering his poor partner, trapped in its Pokéball, unable to get out. Ash swam over to his belt and saw the lightning bolt Pokéball still attached. Ash touched it gently, only to drop the Pokéball as a small jolt ran through his fingers! The ball had shocked him! Being underwater, he was thankful the shock was relatively small, but if the Pokéball was shocking him, he could only imagine that Pikachu was doing everything it could to get out. Ash was thankful the lock would prevent any unexpected releases, but if the point wasn’t any clearer, Pikachu was not only worried sick, but getting desperate to get out. Ash picked up the belt he’d dropped and ran it through his pants with a chuckle. “Don’t worry Pikachu, you’ll be out soon, I promise.”

He clipped his belt, and then swam to get one of his two socks, but not before swimming over to Misty, and wrapping his arms around her, kissing her cheek. “Last night was absolutely... amazing.”

Misty smiled and immersed herself in his embrace from behind, laying her hands on his arms and leaning her forehead on his. “It was everything I could have imagined... and more.” Misty just rubbed his hands that held her against him and closed her eyes, thinking about everything that had transpired between them in the last 24 hours. She still couldn’t believe that everything had happened as it had, but despite it all, she was happier than she’d been in quite some time...

===

The two continued to swim through the sea for a few hours more, before finally reaching some more shallow waters. It was difficult to keep up with Misty when fully clothed, but his backpack could only fit his jacket, and not much else. But it didn’t matter too much, since Misty never let him out of her sight. While she had indulged in a playful chase yesterday, she was more focused on getting Ash safely to land. And after a long journey through the depths, the water was getting brighter, and shallower as they approached a small island. Ash doubted it was Cinnabar Island as he had originally been trying to reach, but hopefully it wasn’t too far off.

The two continued to swim up, the sun’s rays coming into sight as they danced along the surface up above. And the land was beginning to slope uphill. Ash continued to kick and stroke with all his might estimating the amount of water left before he broke the surface.

30 feet...

25 feet...

20 feet...

He looked up and could make out the border of the shoreline. Straight ahead, waves were pounding the sand, and retracting to the sea in a constant aquatic dance. The currents were making it a bit harder to get there, but Misty helped guide him through the rough currents, pulling him ever closer and closer to the shore. “We’re almost there, Ash.” She said as they kicked through the water. “Just a little bit more to go.”

“Will anyone see us?” Ash asked.

“The beach should be deserted. This island only has a small town, and this beach isn’t a popular destination for the locals.”

They continued to stroke through the water...

15 feet...

10 feet...

5 feet...

A moment later, Ash reached out and felt his hand breath the surface of the water, and shortly after that, his head broke the surface, as a wave gently washed him onto the sand. Ash crawled out of the sea, and immediately began to experience the unpleasant aftermath of his oceanic journey.

As he tried to take a breath in, his mouth opened up, and spewed forth a large amount of seawater, before taking a deep inhale in, feeling air enter his lungs for the first time in hours. Ash began a series of sharp coughing and hacking as the strange effects of his water adaptation faded from his body. The water began to taste terrible, the water left in his lungs was like fire, and the salt in them made it hurt to breathe in the air. It was a rough transition as Ash tried desperately to catch his breath, only to cough more and more.

A few coughs later, and he collapsed on his back, feeling his strength leave him. He was thankfully beginning to recover his normal breathing habits, but it still felt very uncomfortable as his lungs did their very best to properly rid themselves of any stray bits of water he had taken in, and rid themselves of the salty aftermath. But that. Was beginning to pale in comparison to the sharp soreness of his muscles as he lay on the beach, feeling the waves washing over his legs and up to his waist. He’d never felt such exhaustion before. Apparently, swimming in the depths of the sea for as long as they had been doing had taken a small toll on his body.

Thankfully as he managed to look around, he saw no one in sight, confirming Misty’s hypothesis that they would likely be alone. The only living things in sight were a few wild Spearow, who were pecking the sands for any sort of meal, and some Krabby, who scuttled away as Ash lay on the shore. He groaned as he continued to cough, and ache in his state of recuperation, but as he continued to recover, he felt Misty pull herself closer to him, and look into his eyes with a bit of worry. “Are you okay? I know that taking those first breaths of air are a bit hard.”

Ash gave another cough, and said in a bit of a raspy voice “I’m alright. I never realized just how tiring swimming could be.”

Misty giggled a bit and placed a hand against his cheek gently, and rubbing some of his wet hair from his face, gently brushing his hat back from his hair. “You sure you don’t want a tail?” She asked teasingly, which even got a few chuckles from Ash amongst his few coughs.

Ash caught his breath, and finally said, “I know I’ve said this already but... thank you for everything Misty, from saving my life to... to returning how I feel about you. I owe you so much.”

Misty just smiled and kissed his forehead. “I’ll take your thanks for saving your silly skin again, but I should be thanking you just as much for how you feel. You showed me a lot last night, and I won’t soon forget it.”

Ash smiled, but then sat up a bit, straightened his hat, and took on a more serious expression. “So... how are we going to move forward with this?”

“What do you mean?” Misty asked.

“I mean, well... you probably will return to the sea for a bit longer. I mean, I know why you returned to it, but I wouldn’t think you’d leave it so soon after this, with your family and everything living here. And I guess I’d wonder how I would be able to find you again if I ever wish to see you.”

Misty gave Ash a look of concern, and said “It is true that relationships with humans among my kind are difficult. I know I spent a large amount of time on land with you Ash, and I understand your concern...” Her expression softened a bit and she gave a small smile. “For now, I’ll give you this. May I see your Pokégear?”

Ash was a bit surprised at the question, reached into his pocket and pulled out his waterlogged device. He half-expected it not to turn on, but with the press of a button, it lit up as it normally did. It was amazing how much of a beating those things could really take. He gave it to Misty, and she took it without question and began pressing various buttons.

“I’ll give you a direct link to my own Pokégear.” She said with a smile.

“You have a Pokégear?” Ash asked.

“I’ve had one for a few years now.” Misty said. “It’s also at my home.”

“And it’s underwater?” Ash asked a bit surprised. “How does that thing even get a signal?”

Misty giggled and said, “We’re not completely without a few of life’s conveniences, and I learned from my father how to boost the signal to communicate with my family. You’d be the first friend I’d be in communication with while I’m in the sea, Ash.”

Ash couldn’t help but smile, and said “I guess that’s a privilege I’ll try not to abuse.”

Misty smiled and said, “It would be appreciated that you keep this little mermaid thing a secret for now at least. My family may be familiar with humans, but we are still very careful about who we reveal ourselves to. I hope you understand.”

“I understand completely.” Ash said with a smile, grabbing onto Misty’s hand, and holding it gently. “And I promise you that I will keep in communication with you one way or another... even if I have to dive back into the sea to find you.”

Misty giggled and said “At least bring a diving apparatus if you’re gonna be that silly.” She then handed back his Pokégear, and gave Ash a big kiss, pushing him down onto the sand. Ash indulged in the kiss and gave a most pleasant moan as they embraced in the sand, and lost themselves. Sure, without the help of Misty’s aquatic adaptations, Ash was cold in his drenched clothing, and their kisses tasted much more salty than before, but Ash didn’t seem to care. He was just happy to be right there with her, and happy to be able to call himself hers.

After a moment, Ash gently broke the kiss, and said “I hope you don’t mind one more friend finding out about you.”

“Hmm?” Misty asked, maybe a bit unsure what he meant.

Ash just smiled and reached for his belt and pulled out Pikachu’s Pokéball, and held it in his hand. “I know Pikachu would love to see you. You know how he was around you.”

Misty giggled, and said, “I guess he’s been cooped up inside that Pokéball for long enough.”

Ash chuckled and said, “Poor little guy... let’s fix that.” Ash held the Pokéball in his hand, and switched off the device’s manual lock. A second later, the ball began to shake, but before anything further could happen, Ash pressed the center button, and the ball opened up in a dazzling flash of white light, and a couple feet away, the light from within the Pokéball began to materialize in the familiar shape of his Pikachu.

Pikachu’s eyes were shut tight, as if it had been bracing for something unpleasant, but a moment after he was released, the yellow mouse shook his head violently, with a grunt, a common reaction whenever Pikachu was left in his Pokéball.

Ash smiled at his partner, and said “Hey Pikachu!”

Pikachu heard the voice of his friend, and immediately brightened up, as his eyes fixated on Ash’s. For a moment, Ash could swear there was a bit of disbelief in those eyes, but the very next moment, Pikachu happily cried out “Pika pi!”, and jumped onto Ash’s chest in a hug that Pikachu was known to give, and Ash returned the embrace just as eagerly. “Aww Pikachu! I hope I didn’t worry you too much!”

As if on cue, Pikachu was actually starting to cry just a little bit. Ash could tell that Pikachu had spent enough time in there to grow genuinely concerned for Ash, especially after how Ash had been forced to put him in his Pokéball. Ash gave his partner a loving hug, as the yellow mouse trembled and tried to hold back sobs of “Pi-pika-pi...”

Ash just smiled and rubbed the back of his partner, and said “Take it easy, Pikachu, I’m alright... I’m sorry it took me so long to get you out of there... but I told you everything would be fine...”

“Yeah, everything was only fine, because I was lucky enough to find you in that pickle you were in.” Misty said with a tease.

At the sound of Misty’s voice, Pikachu’s ears twitched a bit, and his hug loosened from Ash, and he gave an inquisitive “Pika?”

Ash smiled and turned to face Misty, and said “Look who it is, Pikachu.”

At the sight of Misty, Pikachu gave a huge beaming smile, and happily cried out “Chaaa!”, and leapt out Ash’s arms, into Misty’s, and began to give a laugh that resembled a reaction of seeing a beloved old friend again.

Misty returned that laugh as Pikachu leaped onto her and gave her an affectionate hug and nuzzle. It was a moment that Ash couldn’t help but smile at the moment they shared as the two got reacquainted. Pikachu obviously didn’t realize that Misty wasn’t exactly what she was like a while ago, but Ash was sure Pikachu would realize it shortly.

Misty held Pikachu in her arms, and smiled, “Oh Pikachu, it’s lovely to see you again. Have you been keeping Ash out of trouble?”

Pikachu gave a happy “Pi Pikachu!” At the question, before he looked down at her, and saw just how different she was to when he had last saw her. Pikachu gave a bit of a shocked expression, before gazing up at Misty with a curious “Pi Pi Pikachu?”

Ash chuckled and said, “You can imagine how I felt when I first saw her, Pikachu.”

“Pika...” Pikachu said in shock, before looking to Ash, and Misty, and looking a bit in thought.

“Misty saved my life, Pikachu. And... well, we’ve both agreed that we don’t see each other nearly as often as we would like. So I think we’re gonna start planning to see each other more often.”

Pikachu heard this, and a smile came upon his face. “Pikachu!”

Misty smiled and said “I’m glad he seems to approve. But I should probably check in back home. It’s not exactly normal that I spend the night away from there, so I don’t want to worry anyone back there.”

“Then I’ll find this village here, and see if I can get in contact with the Coast Guard to get these Pokéballs to their rightful owners.” Ash said, standing up, his clothing dripping with seawater on the sand, as the waves washed over his feet. Ash looked down to Misty, and said “I love you so much Misty.”

Misty smiled as a wave washed over her tail, giving her a little leverage to begin to push herself out to sea. “I love you Ash. Promise me it won’t be long before we see each other again?”

“I guarantee it.” Ash said. “I will never go an extended period without you again...”

Misty smiled as she began to push herself into the restless sea, but as the water reached up to her neck, Misty said “Contact me soon!”

“I will!” Ash said, as he watched her flip backwards into the sea, and vanish beneath the surface. Ash actually felt himself take a few steps into the sea to follow her, but stopped himself. He just sighed and smiled gazing out over the sea, before leaving the surf, and walking on the beach.

“Come on Pikachu, let’s find this town.”

Pikachu jogged over to follow him, before looking up at him giving a small “Pi Pikachu?”

Ash just smiled and said, “Yeah... yeah I said what you think I said. You can say you missed out on a bit of the catching up that Misty and I did.”

Pikachu cocked his head at that answer, before Ash simply chuckled and said, “I’ll tell you a bit more later... right now, we got a task to do, and I should also call mom when I get the chance. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m dead after that whole fiasco...”

=== FIVE MONTHS LATER ===

Ash stood outside the Cerulean City Gym. It hadn’t been that long ago that Misty had returned to take over her usual duties as the Cerulean gym leader, but as with her sisters when they were in charge of the gym, Misty had kept the tradition alive of hosting aquatic shows for the viewing pleasure of the public, whether it was synchronized swimming with her Pokémon, or a local swim team, or an underwater ballet that she would help run. And today was one of those shows. Ash hadn’t attended this one as he had been called away, but he had promised to meet up with Misty when she was finished to spend some time with her. He’d left his Pikachu here while he was out, but he knew that Pikachu got along splendidly with most of Misty’s Pokémon, so he wasn’t too worried.

Ash entered the gym without hesitation, and upon entering, one of the box office employees looked at him and said “Oh, hey Ash. Here to see Misty?”

Ash nodded. “Yeah, her show over?”

“Almost. You can go and wait for her if you want.” The employee said, as he filed away some papers.

Ash gave another nod, and replied “Thanks,” before waking off to the side, and entering a door that the public was prohibited from entering. Technically, Ash likely wasn’t allowed to enter this hallway. Either, but most of the assistants around the gym were well aware of his relationship with Misty now, and paid no attention to him going back here. Probably because the one time that he did, and got scolded for it, Misty let them hear it.

Ash walked down some stairs and into a colorful hallway, which was lined with large aquariums, filled with various fish and water Pokémon. Ash never got tired of walking down these halls, but the best part of these halls was that they eventually led to an area of the pool where one could stand in limited light, and watch from underwater, the events going on in the main pool. And he had often taken advantage to watching Misty perform in her shows, or watch her do battle with another trainer from this wonderful vantage point.

The turn of a corner, and the view came into his sight, and much to his liking, it was completely empty. He could tell from the lack of performers in the water part of the tank, that the show was very much nearing an end, and Ash just sat down on a bleacher, in darkness, as the water danced on the glass before him up above. He could hear distant voices in the distance as the performers played their parts as they had a hundred times before, and before too long, he saw something enter the water, and smiled as he saw Misty swimming through the depths. Ash immediately could tell she was in her mermaid form, but she wore a fabric costume over her tail in a small illusion to conceal her true nature. And Ash was the only one in the building to know of this little secret.

He and Misty locked eyes for a brief moment, before she smiled and surfaced once more. Ash could hear the distant roar of applause as the spectators voiced their appreciation of the performance, and over the building’s PA system, a voice said “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, thank you for attending today’s spectacular performance of ‘The Magical Mermaid’! We hope you have enjoyed yourselves, and please get home safely!”

Ash just stood up and approached the glass as he heard people begin to enter the area around him, likely performers and stage crew who often walked these halls. Each one who passed paid Ash no heed, as they knew who he was to Misty, and were used to seeing him now and then. Now and then, one would offer a passing wave, which Ash would return, but not much more. He just smiled and waited in the room.

This was the one thing that could be hard. Waiting. It took a while for everyone to leave the building, and give him and Misty the privacy they enjoyed so much, but the wait was always worth it. And after a few more of the stage crew passed him by, he heard a small tapping. He turned around and smiled at the sight of Misty, looking at him through the glass.

He immediately walked over and placed his hands on the glass, just thinking about how much he wished the glass didn’t separate him at that very moment, and in this thought, leaned his head against the glass. He couldn’t help but smile when Misty mirrored his actions and leaned her head against the glass, and Ash playfully planted a kiss on the glass to express his pleasure of seeing her.

A moment later, Misty beckoned for him to go up, and Ash nodded. He wasted no time leaving the dark room and coming upon a set of stairs that led up to the pool level, and upon reaching the top of the stairs, he immediately took his backpack, hat, and jacket off and tossed them to a nearby bench, before sitting down, and beginning to take off his shoes.

A moment later, Misty surfaced and tossed the drenched fabric mermaid tail out of the pool, and eyed Ash. “I’m sorry you missed the show. I feel like this was a really good performance this time around.”

Ash kicked off his shoes, and took off his socks, before saying “I really wish I could have watched.” He took off his shirt. “You perform so well in these shows, and not just because you can ‘hold your breath for a long time’,” he said with a playful wink.

Misty smiled as she slowly removed the bikini that was part of her costume as well, and let her breasts free of the fabric, dancing in the water. She then said, “It’s always best to leave them dazzled, and to keep a little bit of an illusion in their minds. I love it when they think it could be so good that it’s real.”

Ash chuckled and unbuttoned his jeans, and slid them off so that he was only in his boxers. “The best part about that is in a way, it really is real.”

After he said that, he sprinted to the edge of the pool and without hesitation, he dove into the clear water, only to surface a short time later. Misty was immediately at his side with a smile, and a big kiss which Ash indulged in, gently caressing her cheek, and holding her close. “I never get tired of that greeting...” Ash said.

“And I never get tired of giving that greeting to you...” Misty replied with a gentle smile.

Ash felt her tail graze his legs and feet as he treaded the water with her, and said “I ever tel you how much better you look out of that mermaid costume?”

Misty glanced over to her fabric mermaid tail, and giggled. “I can’t say you have, and I can’t say it exactly feels comfortable to wear around my tail. If it wouldn’t be so obvious, I might try and actually perform without it, but I’m not ready to take that kind of chance.”

Ash just chuckled, “I always thought the stars at the hips were a little tacky.”

Misty giggled and kissed his cheek at that statement as she held them both on the surface of the water, and said “By the way, I have some good news.”

“Oh?” Ash replied with a smile. “What’s that?”

“My parents are interested to meet you.” Misty responded.

“Oh really?” Ash said with a smile. “They’re interested to meet the human dating their mermaid daughter finally?”

“I guess I’ve told them enough stories about us to the point where they’re getting a little sick of waiting.” Misty said with a small laugh. “I hope you don’t mind that I said that you’d be happy to meet with them next month.”

“I’ll make sure my schedule is open.” Ash said with a thumbs up. “Incidentally, where would we be meeting them?”

Misty gave a shy smile and said, “Well, they’re certainly comfortable coming out here if they need to, but I would imagine they’d be more comfortable if we visited them. It’s been a long time since they were out of the sea.”

“So, I’d need to get my swimmer’s legs again.” Ash said with a chuckle. “I will do whatever makes you the most comfortable.”

“That will never change about you, Ash.” Misty said with a chuckle. “You’re never one to shy away from an adventure, even if it’s one that’s over your head. In more ways than one.”

“Hey, I will have you with me, so as far as I’m concerned, I have nothing to worry about.” Ash said with a small chuckle.

“Well then...” Misty said with a small smile, “Perhaps we should get your swimmer’s legs all warmed up then..." Her smile suddenly became very playful as she said with a wink, "And perhaps while we're at it, I'll show you a _real_ good time...”

And before Ash could say another word, Misty planted her lips to Ash, and pushed him down into the water. The surface of the water danced a bit as the ripples from Misty’s dive spread through the pool, and a few seconds later, the surface of the water was disturbed again as a few air bubbles raced up to the surface and erupted in small blips and splashes. About fifteen seconds after the air bubbles started, they began to cease, and the ripples on the surface dissipated to the point where the only thing disturbing the surface of the water was maybe only the slightest movement of Ash and Misty beneath the surface, in a deep loving embrace and passionate kiss.

These were the moments Ash never got tired of experiencing with Misty, and each time they experienced this moment, he couldn’t help but feel so damn lucky to have someone like Misty in his life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the end of this experimental short story. I have absolutely loved writing this out, and touching up on an area of writing I haven’t touched up upon in quite some time. I hope the way I told this story was engaging, I hope you liked how I approached it, and where I took it, and I hope it was fun for you to read, and I thank you for taking your time to read it. 
> 
> If you’re wondering if I will do anymore with this story, the answer is probably not a whole lot. If I come up with more ideas, I might do little snippets or short stories, but this is really all I wanted to do with this. Just let my strange imagination play out my soft spot for mermaid and human romance. But I do have some fun ideas for a new, and longer story coming up which I hope you’ll check out when I get the time to write it out. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


End file.
